Tears of the Fallen
by ShadowsWeaver1
Summary: Kagome is saved by Sesshomaru. Unfortunately for the young miko, Sesshomaru’s version of chivalry includes having her impaled by Tenseiga and thrown down a mystic well. But that is only the first of our miko’s problems. SessKag
1. Tears of the Fallen

Tears of the Fallen

Tears of the Fallen

"SSSSIIIITTTTT!!"

The shrill command broke through the peaceful haze of the summer afternoon. From a hillside far off in the distance, one could see the scattering of birds that had been startled from their perches which they had sought out to beat the heat of midday.

"SIT!"

The sound was heard again, closer now, the ground shudders with a heavy impact immediately following the irate command of the female's shrill and echoing voice.

"SIT! SIT! SIT!"

In a clearing harboring a grassy knoll looking over the countryside, broken only by a small trading road (and a suspiciously body-shaped crater), a female in a strange, green and white uniform stood fuming over the still smoking crater…which, again, looked very body-shaped for some unknown reason. The red tie by her neck seemed similar to that of a sailor's knot, but the length of her skirt (or lack-there-of) pointedly told that this woman had never seen the ocean….or more specifically the blowing winds of the ocean. Not to say that there wouldn't be a few sailors more than glad to welcome the 'young lady' aboard their ships, but then, they would have to come to understand why there was a smoking crater at her feet which looked suspiciously body-shaped.

A low, rumbling growl sounded, but the dangerous noise was terribly muffled for the closeness that the presence of his partially demonic aura threatened.

"How dare you growl at me after what you said?!" The woman fumed, her blue eyes flashing to dark cobalt in her anger as she yelled down into the crater at her feet. Her midnight hair fanned around her in a wild dance as, in her anger, she barely managed to suppress her exceedingly powerful and yet sorely untrained miko powers.

"SIT!" She yelled down into the crater, which shook with impact of something not quite visible from any normal position elsewhere on the grassy field.

"Lady Kagome," A calm and wise voice sounded out from behind the woman.

Kagome spun around fast on her heel to face the man. Her eyes narrowed sharply on him, and Miroku thanked Buddha that the heavy layers of his monk's robe was able to hide the shaking of him limbs which clearly displayed that he is deathly afraid of Kagome when she is this mad. But Miroku, with much effort, calmed himself and went about bringing the young woman back to reason. "Though breaking Inuyasha's back using the subjugation necklace may be therapeutic, it may not serve us well since we know that Naraku has been in this immediate area not more than a week ago."

"A week, is it?" The young woman questioned suspiciously as she began walking with measured steps towards the seated monk.

When she was standing right in front of him, Miroku pondered for a moment if she would let him live if he used the wonderful opportunity to get up close and personal with what exactly was under Kagome's skirt…today. One look at her face, however, told him that either he…or…his manhood…ouch…would not make it to see the morn if he were to attempt that particular move at this precise moment in time. Not liking those odds very much, the monk grabbed the first thing he could to block the irate woman's path.

That thing, as it happens, was Shippo. The little fox demon squirmed in the monk's grasp, but when realizing he wasn't about to be let go, snapped his mouth open to reveal a dangerous hint of glistening fang before it sunk deeply into the flesh of the monk's hand. Miroku yelped in pain and his grip on the fox-kit loosened enough for kit to squirm out of his grasp and climb his way over the monk's shoulder. Shippo stopped scrambling once he had latched himself onto the back of the monk's robes. He peered over Miroku's shoulder to see the woman.

"Kagome's scary when she's mad," the little fox confided in the monk's ear.

"I know, Shippo," Miroku answered sagely, "I know."

But seeing Shippo immediately melted Kagome's anger. Her eyes cleared from the haze of rage, and she sighed.

"Sango," Kagome asked quietly of the woman who had been seated next to the monk.

Nothing more needed to be said, Sango knew far too well what Kagome needed. Traveling together for so long had made the two women like sisters, and sisters always know.

"It's alright, Kagome," She soothed.

Sango lifted the little cat that had been peaceful resting on her mistress' lap as Sango had petted her lazily. Kirara mewed and then nodded at Sango. Even though she was youkai, she was still a female and understood completely how idiotic that dog could be. Kirara concentrated her energy and brought forth the changing fires. Her small body erupted into the heated flames as her power was released from where she had held it at bay. The full might of her demonic spirit flared around her for a moment before her form began to stretch and change. Soon she was over twenty times her original size; raising up to the miko's shoulders at her full height.

"How long," Sango asked Kagome softly as her hand reached out to brush against the cat's thick mane out of habit.

Kagome sighed again as she climbed onto Kirara's back. "It looks like Naraku will be two weeks ahead of us, Sango." She finally replied.

"TWO WEEKS!"

The loud, angry voice shouted from out of the crater behind the girls. That voice was immediately silenced though by a loud thud, which was strangely accompanied by the sound of thin metal bands chiming together. When the girls had turned in the direction of the mysterious voice, they saw the monk walking towards them with a large, yellow, somewhat rounded but at the same time very lumpy, bag…of sorts. He lifted the bag up to Kagome, which she accepted with a gentle smile and her usual grunt at having to heave the thing everywhere.

"Safe journey, Lady Kagome." The monk smiled at the young woman in a soft way, holding the azure depths of her eyes in the deep violet of his.

"Monk."

A low warning issued from the woman standing just on the other side of the firecat immediately dropped the smile from the monk's face, as well as the hand that had been raised from his side to inch along the back of the cat in a direct (though completely unintentional) course to the young miko's finely curved backside.

"Why, yes?" The monk questioned innocently when he recovered from being caught in the act of...doing…absolutely nothing…of course. "My lovely, Sango, what service would you have me do for you?"

Sango narrowed her eyes at the monk as she contemplated the angle she would have to release Hiraikotsu from her back so that she could nail the perverted monk without hitting Kagome or Kirara. But before the demon slayer could do anything to rectify the situation, she was interrupted by Kagome's tired voice.

"See you guys in a week, ok?"

"A week is fine, Kagome." Sango soothed the girl again, even though she knew that there would be an impossibly aggravated hanyou that would, no doubt, be coming to visit her within three days to bring her back…kicking and screaming if need be.

Kagome nodded at her friend, knowing the same thing as she: that Inuyasha would never let her be for a week. She sighed again. She always did give in to him too. She always forgave him. She did it because she loved him, and she wanted what was best for him. And she knew that what he wanted most in the world was to have his revenge on the beast that had stolen his love from him, and his wish on the mysterious jewel that would finally give him the power of a full demon that he had sought all his life. So, she always returned to fix a mistake she had made so long ago, and to give her best friend the happiness she wanted for him to have.

But for right now…for right now he had gone too far.

Kagome smiled wearily then shifted her weight on the giant cat. Immediately, Kirara took to the skies with her lone passenger.

Sango sighed as she watched Kagome depart. Miroku sighed as well as he watched his friends rear disappearing…or was it watching his friend disappear from the rear? As he debated the correct phrasing of his actions, his right hand reached out to grasp onto the meaning of life…purely a soul-searching act as he contemplated the mysteries of the universe in his well-educated and philosophical mind…how strange it was when his hand came in contact with one of the world's greatest mysteries.

'Ah,' he thought in contented bliss during the sparse moment he was allowed to touch a piece of heaven, 'The mystery that is a woman.'

Unfortunately for the monk, the woman whose backside he had…completely innocently…fondled, happens to be a weapons master. Said female spared the monk no grace as she fluidly released her heavy weapon from its restraints and gracefully bashed the monk's hard head with it. Following the resounding thud of the impact, Miroku dropped to the ground in a tangled heap of robes and unconscious limbs.

"Idiot," The little fox-kit grumbled as he rolled his eyes at the monk and turned to find the next source of his entertainment…which was never in short supply given the group he traveled with.

Said entertainment was, at the moment, pulling himself out of the strange body-shaped crater that had been formed in the clearing. The kit watched one clawed hand reach over the edge of the devastated ground, followed by a white, pointed ear…another clawed hand…another white, pointed ear. The ears twitched in unison, each flicking off a remaining layer of dust as they sought out the nearby sounds. When the sound they were searching for…which was most likely the sound of a nearby predator or other such threat…was noticeably lacking, the pointed ears sagged in disappointment…for the fight that would not be ensuing, of course.

"Fuck!" It seems that the owner of those ears was none too pleased…over the lacking battle.

Said voice's owner released another string of colorful words, then, in a swift motion, heaved himself from the crater…which was strangely body-shaped…and strangely shaped in the shape of his body. He shook his head, causing his long, silver hair to whip out around him and shower down another layer of dust, then squatted down on his knuckles, bent his knees, and continued shaking the rest of his body until there was nothing visible but a rater large cloud of dust.

When the dust had finally settled enough for the hanyou to get a good look at the other three members of his traveling group, he saw in their expressions looks of anger, disappointment, and…retribution?

"Feh!" The hanyou huffed as he turned away from his companions. "She's just a shard detector anyways!"

A small weight settling itself on his head, caused to hanyou to look up at it cross-eyed in annoyance. The fox-kit peered down into the glaring, golden eyes of the hanyou from his perch; his own little, green eyes alight with the fun of taking his moment to outshine the idiotic dog.

"Don't forget the part about her being a Ramen detector too…Idiot."

The kit squeaked when he felt the hanyou shift, and bolted off of his perch before the hanyou's hands could come crashing down on him. The fox snickered when he saw that the hanyou's claws had hit his own head and another string of curses flowed from his mouth.

"Inuyasha," the monk placated the hanyou as he approached his side. "When dealing with a woman, one must be more gentle. No matter how strong a woman is, her emotions are fragile."

"More like volatile," Inuyasha spit as he continued rubbing the abused portion of his skull that had suffered under one of his own blows.

"Ah yes," The monk agreed as he rubbed the portion of his head which still ached from where he had been momentarily left to…strengthen his meditation technique. "They can be that as well."

TTTTTTTTTT

Kagome sighed for what must have been the hundredth time since she had left her companions. She hated fighting, and she hated feeling angry at one of her friends; but there was only so much she could take of Inuyasha's continual degradation of her. She knew that he didn't mean the things he had said. She knew that he was uncomfortable after having told her that she wasn't merely a shard detector, and that was the reason he had covered his unusual sentiment with supplying the fact that she was also his ramen detector; but it still pissed her off…really, really bad.

So she had left him so that she could calm down. A couple of days without him was definitely what the doctor ordered…not like she ever saw a real doctor (despite what her friends in her time believed)…but she was a miko…and she figured that was good enough advice to be taking.

Kagome began taking in long, slow breaths to clear the residual feeling of anger and hurt. The afternoon, though hot, was beautiful, and the speeds at which Kirara was flying provided her with a wonderful breeze to keep her skin cool against the bright rays of the summer sun. She continued her breathing; long and deliberate breaths of cleansing. Unfortunately, as Kirara began to approach the old well that was her portal home; her breathing became hindered by a terrible stench on the air.

The smell was fresh and strong. It hung in the air as a thick and painful warning of danger. Her lungs began to sting as her priestess blood began to fight against the burning of poison that had mingled with the fetid stench of death and decay found in such a combination exclusively from one source: Naraku's miasma.

Kagome's mystical senses stretched out to determine what the dark hanyou was doing, but a tremendous burst of devastating power accompanied by another wave of potent poison filled the air and gave Kagome a justifiable pause.

There was only one being she knew of whose poison could fill an area so effortlessly that it touched every living thing, only one whose poison carried with it no scent but only a feeling of electricity and power, only one whose poison could enter her lungs and burn against her body in a way that had never truly brought her harm.

Sesshomaru.

The demon lord was engaged in battle with Naraku. Two powerful and dangerous opponents engaged in deathly combat. It was most definitely a scene which every one of her survival instincts, and every ounce of her miko powers, and pretty much every part of her being, told her that she should avoid at all costs.

Unfortunately, logic and reason had to rear their ugly heads and tell her that down where the battle was being fought, harmlessly in the path of the two super-powers, was one defenseless well which also happened to be her only way home.

Kagome was sorely tempted to release a word that would have been courtesy of spending too much time with a foul-mouthed hanyou, but she reined in the urge and focused on bringing Kirara down to the well as inconspicuously as possible. The pair flew low above to trees as they approached the clearing by the well, still out of sight of the battle, but close enough to hear the voices beyond.

"What is it about that well that you are protecting, Lord Sesshomaru?" The dark hanyou sneered mockingly. "Could it be that you have become fond of the little miko, hm?"

"Naraku," Sesshomaru's cool and measured voice still dripped with venomous loathing for the creature he faced. "I simply have no wish for your foolish attempt to reform the Shikon to be made any easier for you. Now die."

Kagome eased Kirara onto the ground near the edge of the clearing just in time to see Sesshomaru launch another attack at Naraku. The dark hanyou sneered at the demon lord and moved to confront the attack of the other's blade with four spine-tipped tentacles that shot out from his slithering mass of a lower body. Sesshomaru evaded the first of the tentacles in a flash of demon speed. He spun in mid-air to slice through the second which had missed him by only inches on his opposite side before his sword, Tokijin, was lifted from its new position with highly trained grace to form another attack in one fluid motion from the first. The remaining two tentacles were immediately destroyed, leaving only the first which had curved around the back of the demon lord. Sesshomaru spun again, and again severed the repulsive limb.

Naraku hissed as he pulled back the severed remains of his tentacles, but still, the miasma leaking out from the scattered portions of his body was serving its intended purpose.

Sesshomaru ignored the miasma, knowing it had no effect on his youkai body, and dashed towards the dark hanyou in a blurred flash of white silk and gleaming metal. Unfortunately, his blade collided with Naraku's barrier instead of sinking deep into his writhing mass of putridness that he liked to call a body. Sesshomaru growled in aggravation as he pounded on the barrier with stroke after stroke of thundering power released by his arm through the demonic blade in his grasp, but Naraku just cackled at him in his wicked, villainous way as he hid like the true coward he is behind his barrier formed by the stolen power of the Shikon jewel.

As the two battled, however, Kagome began to realize just what it was the dark hanyou found so amusing. From her place across the clearing from where the battle was being fought, Kagome could see the miasma still leaking from the severed limbs of Naraku. The dark, putrid mist was filling the clearing, stealing the life from everything that it touched; from blades of green grass turning brown with sickness and death, to small flowers wilting and dropping their delicate petals, to the aged wood of the magical well becoming darkened by the caress of evil hands.

'Oh no you don't!' Kagome screamed in her mind as she swung her bow from her shoulder and notched an arrow. She directed the path of her mystical arrow into the middle of the dark miasma, and released it in a near-blinding flash of purity and light. The arrow streamed through the darkened mist, cleansing the surrounding air on its path to leave only glittering ash to fall from where the miasma had once been, and struck its mark; becoming embedded firmly in the old well and erecting a strong barrier of protection.

Kagome used the distraction of her arrow to move from her position on the outskirts of the clearing and set herself between Naraku and the well. That evil bastard would take her way home over her dead body! She notched another arrow and aimed it squarely at Naraku's chest, but before she could do anything, she heard Sesshomaru's voice.

"Miko, leave this place."

"Not a chance!" She snapped back at him heatedly.

She still hadn't completely recovered from her previous anger, and she wasn't about to be told by yet another dog. Besides that, she was protecting her only way home, and that was a cause that justified talking back to Sesshomaru…though she often found a reason to talk back to the pompous, arrogant, high-and-mighty, Inu Lord; this was an especially good reason.

She loosed her arrow at her enemy…to which she will swear had absolutely nothing to do with spite for Sesshomaru ordering her around...of course she would also swear that tremendous burst of power she felt as a result of her…not…trying to piss off Sesshomaru, also had nothing to do with spite. So when her arrow collided with Naraku's barrier and shattered the thing as though it were made of glass, she would definitely swear that she was not surprised that her untrained miko powers were capable of such a thing, and that Sesshomaru's being there had nothing to do with it…at all.

Naraku hissed out his fury at the change in course of the battle, and set his devilish red sights on the young miko. In a bulging surge of movement, the dark hanyou produced more deadly spines and sent them forth against the one who had shattered his barrier.

Kagome immediately reached for another arrow, but the sharp spines were coming at her with such speed that she knew she would never be able to set and release it in time. Then, to her extreme surprise and unlikely annoyance, she discovered that the path of the deadly spikes had been blocked…by Sesshomaru. He moved with such speed that he wasn't much more than a blur to her human eyes, but with her miko senses, Kagome could detect his movements quite easily as he sped gracefully from one spine to the next, effectively removing each one with fluid sweeps of his arm.

When the last of the spines from this wave of Naraku's attack had been severed, Sesshomaru turned slightly to face Kagome.

"Miko," he ordered again. "Go, now." He gestured pointedly in the direction of the well with a flick of his fierce, golden eyes.

Kagome faltered momentarily with the realization that Sesshomaru knew of the secret of the well, and that, for some reason that was entirely beyond her, he was protecting it for her. But the clarity of his message, and the force of the words he used to convey it, had the young miko backing hesitantly towards the old well as he had commanded.

She had just reached the rim of the well when Naraku sent out another wave of his attack. Sesshomaru turned immediately to face the assault, his sword lashing out to confront the vile hanyou's pathetic attempts against him. But as he battled through the slick spines, Sesshomaru realized that the direction Naraku had turned him in to combat was one of strategic importance. With every sweep of his blade, Sesshomaru was being drawn steadily away from the well and the miko he had ordered through it.

Sesshomaru growled out his annoyance again at the wretched hanyou's use of trickery and manipulation, severed a slithering appendage with renewed distain, and spared a glance in the direction of the young miko.

'Too far,' he realized as he caught sight of another wave of tentacles being sent at the human girl who had paused stupidly at the rim of the well. He wouldn't make it in time to stop them.

Sesshomaru lifted the blade of Tokijin against Naraku for one last attack, releasing the blade from his grasp to have it fly straight at the dark hanyou's heart as a diversion. Then he reached down to his sash to draw his second sword. Tenseiga pulsed in his hand in a warming surge as he lifted the fang, making Sesshomaru narrow his eyes disapprovingly at the troublesome blade. Then, without further contemplation, Tenseiga too was swung and released from his hand, following a collision course with the fear-stricken miko.

The blade of the demon sword hummed strangely, filling the air in the wake of its passing with a resonating hum of understanding and acceptance. Its course was set, its path chosen, and as it drew near to the young miko and she turned wide-eyed to meet it, Tenseiga knew that this was the path for which it had been destined. Though, of course, neither the miko nor his master would know of that destiny for quite some time.

The miraculous Fang of Heaven, driven by the speed and ability of its master, sliced through the air with speed Naraku could only dream of. It reached its target before the dark hanyou could complete his strike, and became implanted deeply in the young miko's chest. The force of the blow sent Kagome hurtling down into the darkened depths of the mystic well. But as she fell, though her thoughts should have been focused on her surprise and horror of having a sword pierce her chest, her mind was occupied with other thoughts: worry, fear, and apprehension for only one being.

Sesshomaru.

Glistening tears began to roll from the corners of her eyes as she felt herself becoming consumed by the magic of the well.

Tears of the fallen.

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Well, I have finally been inspired to write another story…Ok, fine, I was bored and couldn't think of anything better to do….but it is a story none the less. So Peeps, please enjoy.

As a side note, I just want to mention that it will likely take the first few chapters for me to pry myself away from the first person's perspective that I became so fond of while writing 'My Experiment', but it will pass…I hope.

Anyways, I'm off for now. Cheers.

Shadow

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Too bad, because I could think of some great way to entertain myself if I did have some of the cast of Inuyasha at my disposal Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on writing fanfiction.


	2. Tears of the Lost

Tears of the Innocent

Tears of the Lost

The mystical well wrapped the young miko in its vibrant, swirling colors as it prepared her for her passage through time. But time is a fickle thing, and in a place where one moment can be an eternity and an eternity a moment, any small shift in the balance of powers can produce devastating results.

So it was, as the dancing colors of the time portal began to twist and sway in rhythm with the resonating pulse of the demonic blade embedded in the miko's chest, the course of time was altered, and the path ahead became lost.

However, as Kagome was set gently down at the bottom of the ancient well, there was one problem that took precedence over her determining exactly where she had ended up.

'_There is a sword in my chest…'_

'_THERE IS A SWORD IN MY CHEST!!'_

The young miko took her time to alternate her attention between the temptation to scream her lungs out, the very real threat of passing out, or simply getting up and running hysterically in circles screaming 'GET IT OUT GET IT OUT GET IT OUT!!'

But, as luck would have it, a silver flash from above drew the miko's eye to the lip of the well. Above her she could see the bright rays of the afternoon sun streaming down into the depths of the well, but the sun's rays reflected against a surface of flowing silver which shifted slightly before it was taken from her sight.

'_Sesshomaru…'_

Kagome recognized the flash of silver hair that she had seen so often while traveling with Inuyasha and it served as a reminder of how she had ended up in the well in the first place. Her attention was brought again to the blade protruding from her chest and it finally hit her how it was possible for there to be a large fang sticking right through her with no pain accompanying the experience.

Tenseiga is a blade that can not cut; a sword that gives life rather than taking it.

Sesshomaru had saved her life from Naraku's attack by beating him to the punch with a blow that could never cause her harm. But the fact that Sesshomaru had saved her…or even bothered to talk to her in the first place…was something that baffled the young miko even more than the fact that there was currently a sword sticking out of her that had somehow cut right through her without ever really cutting her. After all, magic was nothing new to her (at least not since she had first fallen down the well), but Sesshomaru being _nice_…that was definitely something that was out of place.

Kagome took a deep, steadying breath, gulped down the lump in her throat, and took a firm hold of the blade of the sword. With a determined yank, the blade was removed from where it had sheathed itself within her chest in one swift motion. She allowed Tenseiga to clatter to the ground at her side as her hands came to rest over her chest to ensure that there really wasn't a gaping hole left where the blade had once been…there wasn't…which she rewarded with a heavily grateful sigh of relief.

But Kagome wasn't left much time to enjoy her relief. There was still the little matter of the silver-haired dog on the ground above the well that she had last seen engaged in battle with the wicked hanyou, Naraku. Of course, there was also the issue of why she was looking up at the afternoon sky and the spoken of dog being that she was supposed to be safely in her own time within the seclusion of the well house at her home shrine, but considering she would have likely jumped down the well again to return and confront the pompous ass who had decided that his version of chivalry should include impaling young girls at the end of his demonic sword, Kagome figured she had just been saved a trip.

The young miko gently lifted herself from the ground, brushed off the layer of dirt and dust that had settled itself on her clothes, and grabbed onto the nearest vine with which she could pull herself out of the well with. But a pulse of power and a strange rattling sound from behind her made her pause and look back. On the ground where she had left it, Tenseiga was shaking, rattling against the ground and pulsing with an eerie blue light.

"Stupid sword," Kagome cursed…well as close to cursing as she ever really got…before she bent down and retrieved the sentient blade that was complaining over the prospects of being left behind. She slid the blade through one of the straps of her yellow pack that was secured to her shoulders, calming the troublesome sword; then proceeded in pulling herself from the confines of the ancient well.

After a few moments of pulling, heaving, grunting, slipping, and holding back some rather colorful words; the miko finally made it to the rim of the well. When she peered over the edge however, the sight that greeted her was not what she had expected. Instead of seeing a battle-torn clearing and two super-powers engaged in mortal combat, she saw the softly blowing grasses of the clearing, still green and healthy as though they had never been touched by the darkened hand of Naraku.

The air was peaceful, and the stillness broken only by the soft breezes of the lazy, summer afternoon. The tress rustled softly in the wind, the deep green of their leaves interrupted occasionally by a fluttering pink petal caught in an updraft…wait a minute…pink? A sakura blossom? Cherry trees weren't supposed to be in bloom in summer…that happens only in the early spring…actually, when she though about it, Kagome realized that the wind was much more chilled than it had been when she had started the day in the feudal era. But what could it all mean?

Having decided that there was definitely something strange going on, Kagome pulled herself fully out of the well and set about getting some answers, answers that she was certain would be coming from the one owning the long, silver hair who had been by the well when she had crossed over. Throwing aside the uncomfortable feeling that was nagging at her which threatened that Sesshomaru would have been able to feel the strong pulse of magic from the well as it had deposited her…wherever…or whenever…she was, Kagome stretched out her miko senses to locate her target.

Almost immediately, Kagome located a tremendously powerful demonic aura. The sheer size of it made her shudder despite her resolve not to.

'_Strange,'_ she mused silently to herself, _'Sesshomaru's aura usually doesn't feel so large. He usually suppresses a great deal of his power because it would be futile to display himself like a plucked chicken for any creature stupid enough to want to pick a fight with him simply because he is powerful. Still…that aura is definitely of one very powerful dog…it's just…there's something…something different about it.'_

Kagome's hesitation didn't last very long. Though she realized that there was something unusual about the aura she was sensing, she also knew that that aura was not terribly threatening…incredibly intimidating, yes…but that was just how Sesshomaru liked it. She sighed, mumbled something disgruntled about demon dogs and their inflated egos, and set out to follow the invisible trail leading her towards her…prey…Oh yeah, she definitely liked the sound of that.

A slight smirk worked its way onto the miko's lips as she set into the trees.

'_Here puppy, puppy, puppy,'_ she called out in her mind. '_If you come out, I'll give you a biscuit.'_

The giggle reflex that was triggered by her thoughts of Sesshomaru actually coming to gather his biscuit like a good little puppy, was cut short when she sensed a sharp change in the direction of the one she was following.

'_Fast,'_ she thought guardedly as she turned, _'Too fast.'_

He was circling her. As she was stalking him, he had come about her rear in a similar fashion. Kagome gulped nervously, not liking at all the direction this little pursuit was going, and hastily decided that a different tactic was defiantly a good idea.

"Sesshomaru," she called out into the surrounding trees. "Would you cut that out already? I only want to talk to you."

When the answer was noticeably lacking, Kagome sighed heavily.

'_Of course he won't want to talk to you, stupid,'_ she chastised herself harshly. '_He hates humans, remember?'_

Still, that knowledge wasn't enough to stop her. Kagome focused on the new direction she felt the strong demonic aura and began following again. After several minutes of following her pursuit through the tangle of trees, Kagome found herself brought to a large clearing. The youkai she had been following had stopped somewhere just on the other side of the clearing, but a subtle change in his aura gave her pause.

He was definitely not pleased, and when Sesshomaru was displeased, things usually ended up dying.

It was time again for another tactic.

"Sesshomaru?" she called out hesitantly. "Look, I know that you don't like me very much, but you could at least come out so that I can give you back your sword."

Kagome scanned the trees on the opposite side of the clearing for any sign of movement. There was none…which was…weird. She should have at least heard the sound of song birds, or of scurrying animals searching for their daily meal, or even feel the presence of some low-level youkai stealing away into the shadows to escape the very powerful and very angry demon lord…who was not feeling very angry any more?

The dark, terrifying feeling of anger in the demon's aura had been replaced by a lighter, even more terrifying feeling of amusement.

Kagome decided immediately that an amused demon lord meant very bad news for her, being that the only time Sesshomaru showed any sort of amusement…which was usually conveyed with nothing more than a slight twisting of his stoic mask into the most frightening smirk in existence…was when there was about to be blood shed. And Kagome realized that human blood…especially that of a pestering miko which traveled with his hated half-brother…was most likely very high on the list of things which would amuse the icy lord.

It was then that she had felt it. A spike of demonic energy that had been almost completely overwhelmed by the Taiyoukai's presence screamed out at the edges of her miko senses. Kagome was spurred into action immediately. She dashed away from her exposed position in the middle of the large clearing, retrieving her bow from its position on her shoulder as she made flight. A gathering of large rocks which bordered a small gully running through the clearing caught the miko's eye and she headed for it. She set her back to the rocks, notched an arrow, and readied herself for what was approaching.

The ground shook with the heavy steps of the approaching demon…whatever it was that was coming, it was very large.

'_Inuyasha!'_ She screamed out in her mind. _'Where are you? I need you, please!'_

But there would be no hanyou to come to her rescue this time, and Kagome knew it. If she was going to survive, she was going to have to bring down the beast on her own. With a deep, calming breath, Kagome hardened her stance and drew back her bowstring.

The ground shook again with a heavy impact, then, a guttural and harsh roar sounded from the trees across from her. To the miko extreme, EXTREME displeasure, another near-defining roar was echoed back from behind her in response to the first.

There were two of them.

But she wouldn't be given any additional time to face the new problem, because as soon as the response had been sounded the first of the creatures came crashing through the trees. The Oni was massive, towering over her small frame by at least ten feet. Its rough and toughened skin hung loosely from the creatures bulging muscles like a shield of weathered-gray armor, and the fierce claws adorning each of the beast's three fingers and toes were dulled by the thick coating of dark, long-dried blood. The creature snapped its giant maw open as it set its burning red eyes on its new prey, released another bone-chilling roar, and charged towards the crouching miko.

'_Hit the mark,'_ Kagome prayed silently as she loosed her arrow.

Her arrow was immediately immersed in the brilliant blue hues of her miko powers as it cut through the air. The creature roared its fury when it saw the approaching blast, but its large and cumbersome body hindered its movement, making escape from the path of the arrow impossible. The arrow hit its mark: right over the heart of the beast.

The creature roared again, but that was not the sound that Kagome had been hoping to hear…being that any sound at all meant the beast was still alive. She hastily secured another arrow in the set of her bow and released it at the giant. Again the creature roared, but left in the wake of the sacred arrow was nothing more than a large and ugly patch of blackened skin.

Her arrows weren't getting through the armored skin on the beast.

Kagome's mind was racing as she reached back to draw another arrow. Somehow, she needed to find a way to bring down the beast. Unfortunately for the young miko, a sharp tingling at the base of her skull told her that she had run out of all time to be pondering possibilities. She threw herself to the ground and allowed her body to roll into the small gully as she narrowly missed the devastation caused by the second Oni's massive, clawed hand crashing down into the pile of rocks that had been protecting her rear.

Kagome landed in a heap at the base of the gully, her body being scraped and cut by hundreds of small rocks and stones; but she fought through the pain and pushed away from the ground. She had only made it to her knees when she felt a large presence hovering above her. In a reflexive act, the miko grabbed a handful of the sharp stones, held them long enough to infuse them with a jolt of miko energy, then hurled them at the beast that had nearly captured her in its clawed grasp.

The Oni howled in outrage when its body exploded with hundreds of painful impacts of pure energy and it stumbled back from its intended victim. But where one was falling back, there was another to take its place. The second Oni pushed its way past its stunned comrade and started after the prey again.

But Kagome had used the distraction to remove herself from the range of an immediate attack. She held her bow again firmly in her hands, and her arrow was set and ready to be loosed. This time, however, she had a plan…one which she would have to remember to thank her grandfather for…since it was he that had always been fascinated with religion (be it his own or that of other cultures), and it was also he that had told her the dramatic tale when she was a child.

So, in using an act inspired by an old tale from another culture, Kagome drew back her bowstring and released the…modified…rock that would kill Goliath.

Her arrow sped through the short distance between her and the beast, and in an instant had been embedded squarely in one of the creature's large, red eyes. With a thundering howl, the creature steadily became overwhelmed by the purification powers of the arrow; and soon nothing was left of the beast but for glittering ash.

'_One down,'_ Kagome thought in satisfaction as she reached back for another arrow from her quiver, '_One to…'_

But before she would be allowed to draw her next arrow, the second creature was on her. Driven by fear and rage after watching its companion fall, the second beast wasted no time in bringing its heavy arm down on the little miko and tearing through her tender flesh with its fierce claws.

Kagome cried out as the blinding pain ripped through her side. She was thrown away from the creature by the force of the blow and landed hard on the ground several yards away. A dry, heaving sob left her lips as she struggled to raise herself from the ground, but the pain of her wound had left her right side incapable of movement. She collapsed again against the ground, having only enough strength left to keep breathing in and out. But still, she swore to herself that if she was going to be dinner for that creature that it would find out just how tasty miko flesh was when it was still charged with holy energy.

Dinner, however, was a luxury the beast would not be granted before it was dispatched into the next world. The creature roared wildly from behind the fallen miko when its flesh was torn asunder by a force that the beast would never see. It fell to the ground in a heap of shattered bones and shredded flesh: dead like its comrade before it.

Wearily, Kagome used what was left of her failing strength to lift her head so that she could see the one that had come to her aid at the last minute…the VERY last minute…more like second actually. She saw first the length of silver hair blowing on the soft breeze that had first caused her to pursue the youkai, but when her sight finally settled on the face of the one she had followed, she realized the enormity of her error.

The man standing before her was not Sesshomaru. Though he was still an inuyoukai, and a very powerful one at that, the man she was looking at was one who was supposed to be long dead.

The young miko sobbed again when she finally came to an understanding of what had happened. The well had not sent her home, but it had not left her in the feudal era either. She had been sent backwards in time even further. How far back, she didn't know, but it was far enough back for her to be looking upon the young youkai who would one day become Inu no Taisho.

Her tears dripped down from her pain-filled azure eyes as she gave into her exhaustion.

Tears of the lost.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Nothing to say. It is 2:45am, and this Shadow is sorely in need of her beauty rest.

Goodnight.

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Too bad, because I could think of some great way to entertain myself if I did have some of the cast of Inuyasha at my disposal Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on writing fanfiction.


	3. Tears of the Mourning

Tears of the Mourning

Tears of the Mourning 

The world came back to the sleeping miko in segmented waves of understanding. Clouded at first, her senses could not determine where she was or with whom, only that she was surrounded in a protective blanket of peace and comfort. Faint sounds began to slip through the hazy layers of her unconsciousness, a shifting of the breeze, a crackle of dancing fires, a steady thrum of life. Felling came back to her body; a beat, a pulse, a drawing in of air and its eventual release. Her body shifted, an involuntary contraction of muscles being alerted of her waking and preparing for use.

A beat, a pulse, a breath: alive.

Her eyes slipped open in a lazy draw. She blinked once, twice, sweeping away the lingering traces of slumber. Her vision cleared and she found herself looking up at the vast reaches of the nighttime sky. The stars overhead blinked down at her in their merry way; oblivious to their surroundings, uncaring of the trials of those upon which they cast their light, beacons of hope in the darkness too far away for their calming warmth to be felt but close enough for their eternal light to be seen.

Looking upon those stars made the burdens of her life seem insignificant in compare to the vastness of the void in which they were settled. She found a peace in the knowledge that those stars would be there for her no matter where her travels would take her. They would remain unchanged, and no matter the darkness that was brought down upon her world, those stars would always be there to cast of off a piece of the darkness and to bring with them a faint glimmer of light.

As Kagome took in the beauty of the night sky, she remained completely oblivious to the reason she had been left to look upon it in the first place. She felt such contentment and peace that it was difficult to remember that what had brought her to this place had been a grueling trial of pain and separation. So content she was to remain in her blissful ignorance, that when the deep voice whose smooth tenors were roughened by the bestial undertones of raw, animalistic power sounded out near to her, she was sorely tempted to simply ignore it. However, Kagome was not one to ignore the particular statement that came from the other.

"Woman."

She sighed. "I have a name, you know."

A pause.

"And that would be…?" The voice questioned.

Kagome drew her eyebrows together in confusion. She had not been expecting him to actually ask her, her name. It had taken her many days, a multitude of 'sits', and a near-death experience for Inuyasha to actually call her by name. And then there was Sesshomaru…who she was pretty certain would never call her by name…for any reason. He would consider it beneath a mighty youkai such as himself to be lowered to calling a 'pathetic mortal' by their rightful title. Having…she drew a blank…why had no one ever called Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father by his name? Regardless, having him ask her for her name was definitely not something that she had expected.

"Kagome," she replied slightly hesitantly in her bewilderment.

Kagome shifted her body and made an attempt to raise herself from the ground so that she could look at the one with whom she was speaking, but a startling wave of dizziness consumed her before she could move more than a few inches from the ground and forced her to lay back against the onslaught.

"Kagome…a strange name." She heard the youkai muse as though he were completely oblivious or uncaring as to her present discomfort. "Well, Kagome, you may want to remain laying down. I may not be an expert on these things, but I would assume that it will take some time for your mortal body to adjust."

"Adjust to what?" she questioned as she lifted an arm from her side and brought it up to her face for inspection. Her hand was trembling, and her arm shook violently against the effort of keeping it raised before her.

Kagome may not have been able to see him, but she was certain that he had just shrugged his indifference at her question before giving her an answer.

"To my blood."

"Heh?" Her response was somewhere between a squeak of surprise and a whoosh of air being released as she used what little control she had over her body to crane her neck in an attempt to look at him.

She found the youkai sitting comfortably across from her on the other side of a small fire. He was dressed in a simple robe of white and washed-out lavender which, though was cut neatly and stitched well, belayed greatly the power and presence of this formidable youkai. The garment was too plain, too simple, too…drab…for someone with the power to rule an entire continent. He wasn't wearing any armor, he had no weapon, and he seemed to her to convey more the image of a wanderer than of a noble. The only thing that gave away the importance of this youkai were the heavy bands of jagged indigo that crossed over his high cheekbones, the glistening strands of his silver mane, and the piercing gold of his eyes.

He was staring at her intently; his question and wonder at her being not masked at all in his expressive eyes, and the heavy set of his eyebrows were currently raised slightly as he seemed to puzzle over her. Kagome took immediate count of the fact that his expression was far too open. The warrior, the general, the powerful leader that she knew he should be; could never be so exposed, so open. He seemed to her like a child, one who had yet to discover any of the world's secrets, one who was still curious and excitable instead of hardened by life's trials and jaded by the pains accompanying them.

He was young, she realized; perhaps even younger than Sesshomaru was during the Sengoku period of feudal Japan.

'_This is not good,' _she thought to herself, her gaze becoming taken over by her fear and apprehension of just how far from home she had been taken.

The youkai cocked his head to the side inquisitively as he took in the girl's fearful expression. Thinking that her fear was because of his statement, he thought to calm her by giving an explanation for his actions.

"You lost a great deal of blood during your battle with the Onis. I simply replaced what you lost. I have seen it done many times…with other youkai." He shrugged at the distinction and continued. "There is no need to fear."

"I'm not…" Kagome wasn't certain if it would be good idea for her to tell him exactly what it was she had been fretting over, so she settled on accepting his interpretation. "How did you do it? I mean, I'm a miko. I shouldn't be able to accept youkai blood."

The youkai drew his brows together before responding.

"I know not what this 'miko' term you use is. A human endeavor, perhaps? Regardless, my blood provides me with life. Is it so unreasonable to accept that it would do the same for you?"

"I suppose not…" Kagome replied hesitantly. "Did you say that you don't know what a miko is? You haven't heard of Shinto Priestesses?"

"Should I have?" The youkai questioned as he drew up an eyebrow.

'_He looks so much like Sesshomaru when he does that,'_ Kagome thought distantly before she replied.

"I guess not." In her head, Kagome was counting backwards through the history of her people trying to decide what time period she had ended up in. She settled on a time somewhere in the Jomon period before the Shinto religion had become common place in Japan…which wasn't very helpful being that that particular period spanned from 10,000 to 300BC.

Realizing that it would serve her no purpose to dwell on when she was, Kagome opted for doing something to make the time more tolerable. She had decided quite quickly after waking that the ground on which she was laying was steadily becoming more and more uncomfortable…especially that rather large rock that was digging into at least three of her ribs. In a great effort, she pulled herself up to rest against her elbows. Not far from where she was, she saw a tree that looked like a much better place to be resting. She turned to her companion, debated for a moment the intelligence of her request; then threw away her hesitations by supplying herself with the fact that he had been quite civil so far in their exchange.

"Could you help me over to that tree?" She questioned him. "I would like to be sitting up."

The youkai spared a glance to the mentioned tree, then to the young human girl on the ground. For a moment, he pondered again at the strangeness of this mortal girl. Her power was something he had never seen before; first with the surge of magic at the old well, then the way she had followed him as though she knew exactly where he was, and then when she had managed to kill one of the Oni's he was sure would have made a quick meal of the troublesome girl. Her clothing and dialect were also very strange, and he was constantly struggling to keep up with her strange use of shortened words and unfamiliar phrases. There was also her lacking fear of him which was utterly confusing, especially since she had just requested him to touch her. And, truth be told, he really had thought his blood would have killed her, but if that were to have happened, he would have gotten his chance to unravel the other mystery which she had brought with her.

Still, he wasn't about to deny the girl such a simple request for comfort. To do so would be utterly barbaric, and he was not her jailor…at least while she was willing to speak with him. If that were to change though…well…he would deal with that if and when it came.

The youkai stood with fluid grace and made his way over to the girl. He gathered her small frame to his body and lifted her from the ground, ignoring the strange tingling sensation produced by touching her. Another mystery he would have to deal with, one that didn't nag at him so much as the others, but more so…tickled? He was pretty sure that was the right description for what he was feeling, but being that he had never experienced such a sensation, he was unsure if that was the case.

He set her down at the base of the tree and she sagged against it gratefully, releasing a long sigh of satisfaction. He moved to pull away from her, but when her small hand gingerly touched the back of his, he was startled still. His golden eyes flicked up to hers which seemed to sparkle like sapphires under the light of the stars.

"Thank you," she whispered in gratitude.

He nodded to her and again made to move away, but again she stooped him with her hand.

"I'm sorry." He looked at her quizzically, not understanding why she was sorry or the flushing pink that was surfacing just beneath the skin of her cheeks. "I…" She started under her incredible embarrassment. "I haven't asked you your name."

'_That is all?'_ he mused silently, _'Strange, strange creature.'_

Still, he gave her his response. "I am called Toga"

Kagome smiled anew at the revelation as her eyes drifted shut to sort through her thoughts. It was a simple name, but as he was, it seemed to suit him. This was not the great and powerful General of the Dogs, this was not the feared youkai that ruled over the Western lands; this was simply Toga, the young youkai with thousands of years of life ahead of him, a youth who still marveled at the world and its inhabitants, a gentle soul that held no prejudice over their different races nor reason to think such prejudice should exist.

Toga took in the sight of the smiling girl. If he had not thought so before, now he was certain.

"You know me."

Kagome snapped her eyes open in shock at his statement. How was it possible for him to know that? Frantically she searched her mind to find a lie that wouldn't be detected by his advanced senses, but before she could grasp on to any words he interrupted her.

"It will serve you no purpose to lie to me."

"I know that!" She snapped back at him in response to the hardened quality of his voice. She really hadn't intended to be so snippy with him, but the tone of his voice reminded her too much of Sesshomaru to be ignored. It was a tone that just screamed out 'I am a superior youkai and there is nothing your pathetic mortalness can do to deceive me'.

Toga lifted an eyebrow at her outburst. The girl definitely had spirit, he would give her that. But spirit would not divert him from his line of questioning. He reached behind him and released the fang that he had secured to his back for safekeeping. When he held the blade out before the girl and heard her groan of frustration, he knew that the answers he desired would be forthcoming.

"I don't suppose," the girl started with a trace of hopefulness, "That the fang is too old for you to determine whose it is?"

Toga narrowed his eyes. She was trying to divert him and he didn't like it. "No."

Kagome sighed and shook her head at her own foolishness. "I didn't think so." She brought her eyes back up to meet his. "I guess telling you that I just found the fang lying around one day wouldn't work either, right?"

"Not if you wish to continue living."

Kagome gulped, knowing too well that he was beyond being capable of killing her. She sighed again and hung her head.

"It belongs to your son." She finally relented. "It was bequeathed to him after your death."

"Feh!" Kagome snapped her head up in shock, almost certain that she would set her eyes on Inuyasha after that exclamation from the youkai. "I knew you were strange," he pointed out to her before tapping the blade of Tenseiga on her head as if proving his point, "But now I know that you are just plain crazy."

"I am not crazy!" She yelled back at him as she swatted the blade of the sword away.

Toga cocked his head again at the strangeness of that gesture. Should not one whose flesh is so fragile be more careful when touching the blade of a sword? But when seeing that her hand had not been harmed at all from touching the blade, he became even more suspicious about the forging of _his_ fang and what attributes the sword had been given.

"Suppose I am to accept what you say," he ventured hesitantly, not really sure that he was buying into her explanation, "What more can you tell me of this fang?"

"Humph!" Kagome exclaimed as she crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. "Why should I tell you if you're just going to insult me?"

"You will tell me," Toga ground out through his anger, "Or I will simply use the sword against you as a test of its abilities."

"Go right ahead," Kagome shot back at him as she lifted her shaky limbs to her sides to expose herself. "There is no reason for me to fear Tenseiga."

"Tenseiga?"

At the mention of its name from its creator, Tenseiga pulsed to life in Toga's hands. The resonating of the sword brought with it a message, a message that was clear and unveiled.

"A sword that can not cut," Toga mused. "A blade that brings life and not death…interesting." Interesting as it was though, that knowledge only served to bring up more questions. Toga looked back to the girl, catching her glaring heatedly at the fang in his grasp as though she could will it into silence. He startled her from her pointless glare at the, though sentient, still inanimate object, by asking her a question. "Why would I have such a sword commissioned?"

Kagome sighed and looked away from Tenseiga, relieved that this was one question she wouldn't have to dance around the answer for.

"I haven't a clue," She told him honestly. "But it might have had something to do with So'unga."

Kagome saw recognition in Toga's eyes at the mention of So'unga, and she instantly chastised herself for revealing that little piece of information. Still, being that So'unga wasn't made by him only acquired by him because….because…well she didn't really know why…it wasn't that big of a deal for him to know. However, Kagome was sure that if she continued having a discussion with Toga that she was bound to reveal something sooner or later that would be a big deal…a very big deal.

"Look," She started boldly, catching his eyes and holding them. "As I'm sure you've noticed; I don't belong here. I come from another time, one far, far removed from this one. Even speaking to you is probably enough to change the course of history, but what's done is done and I can't change that now. But what I can do is stop this conversation before too much of your future is revealed, because knowing of the future would give you the ability to change it; and I'm sorry, but I can't allow that to happen."

"I know of So'unga," Toga stated as though he hadn't heard any of what the young miko had said. "If what you say is true, and this sword was crafted as a defense against the threat of that blade's ability to animate the dead as I think it would, I am inclined to believe that if I were to choose to go up against such a power, I would not stop at merely a defense but also have a way in which to fight back. Now, would you happen to know what sort of weapon could do that?"

"A fang?" Kagome questioned stupidly.

"Yes," He agreed. "I think I am getting the picture of that. What kind of fang?"

"Yours?" Again, another stupid response on the part of the miko to try and keep herself from divulging what she knew.

Toga cocked an eyebrow at the girl's elusive answers. He realized what she was trying to do, and though he could…more or less…understand her reasoning for doing such, he still wanted answers to his questions. So, for the moment, he ignored the girl and focused on the fang in his hand. The sentient blade had supplied him with answers before; there was no reason to believe that it wouldn't now. After all, it was _his_ fang.

Tenseiga pulsed merrily in its creators hands. Relieved to feel the hands, and more importantly the caring heart, of its true master, Tenseiga was more than willing to divulge any secret asked of it. The fang revealed to its lord and master the truth of its forging and of that of its brother fang, the understanding of why it had been passed to the eldest son and of Tetsusaiga's importance to the younger child, and finally, Tenseiga revealed the truth of why it had returned to this time with the reluctant miko.

"Sesshomaru," Toga spoke the name of his eldest son for the first time, weighing the feel of the name and wondering why he would give such a name to a child. "What can you tell me of him, Kagome?"

Kagome faltered. What was she supposed to say? But then, being that Tenseiga had just blown her plan not to reveal anything of importance to Toga, she figured she didn't have much more to loose.

"Sesshomaru…well…I don't really know him very well, but from what I do know he lives up to his name and then some. He is cold and cunning, powerful and ruthless, an intimidating and powerful opponent, The Killing Perfection, a ruler with an iron fist and an even stronger will…but…but I think there's more. There has to be. He is not without feeling or compassion, and he does not kill without reason." Kagome decided that, for the time being at least, Sesshomaru's attempts on Inuyasha's life shouldn't count. "He has the ability to not only take life but to give it, and I have seen with my own eyes Tenseiga surge to life in his hands and be put to a greater purpose. He has even been the one to save my life…not once, but twice now."

Kagome shook her head. "I'm sorry. Like I said, I don't know much about him. He more or less keeps to himself. The only time I ever really see him now is when we are close to, or in battle with, our common enemy."

Toga took the information that Kagome had supplied in carefully. It seemed to him that Sesshomaru still had much to learn about life. Mind you, the other little tidbit of information that Tenseiga had supplied him with gave him hope that not all was lost for the eldest of his boys, being that he was most certain that the little spit-fire before him would be the one to put a little humility in the one who believed himself superior to the girl. He allowed himself a small smirk for that one. It was nice to know that he would still be able to affect the course of his children's lives even from beyond the grave. Of course, the idea of his own death was not something he reveled in, but he was forced to accept it as a fact of life: everything that lives must someday die.

"And Inuyasha?" He questioned the girl further.

"Inuyasha?" Again, Kagome was at a loss of what to say. "Well…he's my best friend. We travel together, fight together, hold each other up through the hard times, share moments of friendship and laughter, and just…I don't know…just are. He's brave and strong, fearless sometimes to the point of stupidity, but he's always there to protect me, our friends, and pretty much everyone else that needs it. He's becoming quite the champion of the weak and defenseless, however reluctant he may be to fill the position." She giggled, "Of course, things didn't start out that way. He tried to kill me when we first met." Kagome watched as Toga drew up an eyebrow at that statement, but she giggled again when she was reminded of Sesshomaru because of the gesture. "Oh, don't worry. Sesshomaru tried the same thing. It didn't work for either of them…though I have to wonder about Sesshomaru. He doused me with enough poison to kill an elephant, but it had no effect…for some reason his poison never really has any effect on me."

That statement had Toga wondering too. Though he knew that now the girl would have no problems with the poison of those in his bloodline, how she had avoided the problem before was quite the conundrum. However, upon sensing the agitation of its master, Tenseiga pulsed to life again; giving an answer to a question it knew would be asked of it.

Toga gazed down at the fang in bewilderment. He had no idea what the words used by the blade meant, but Tenseiga had been certain that the words it had spoken were the answer to the question and that the young woman would understand. So, reluctant as he was to do it, Toga voiced aloud Tenseiga's message, struggling through the unfamiliar words as he did so.

"A temporal paradox." Kagome looked up at him confused, but Toga just shrugged to say that he didn't know either and continued with the message. "Of cause and effect."

Kagome blanched. Not good had just gotten a whole lot worse. The fact that Tenseiga knew of a theory that would not be conceived until even later than the time it would be held by the son of its maker could only mean one thing: somehow she and Toga had had this discussion before. Her uncertain belief that somehow it had been Tenseiga's doing that had brought her to this place and time had just been solidified by the revelation. But, as with pretty much all other temporal paradoxes (which she wasn't too dense to ignore since the first time she had been transported 500 years into the past, and had read up on the first chance she had gotten), she wasn't sure what to make of it.

She could tell that Toga was waiting for an explanation, and so she…grudgingly and uncertainly…gave it to him.

"The theory of cause and effect when it comes to temporal mechanics is complicated in a sense, but not so in another. It basically says that in the normal scheme of things a cause must precede an effect without exception. However, if the timeline is broken for any reason, that relationship becomes blurred, making it possible for an effect to come before that which caused it."

Kagome took in Toga's confused expression, made a substantial effort not to laugh when her troublesome imagination supplied her with a picture Sesshomaru's face scrunched up in such a way, then decided on using real life examples to explain.

"If you look at the situation we are in now, you might be able to see it. Tenseiga spoke of something that it could not know because in reality I come from a time after this particular version of the sword exists. That being said, the only reason it would know of the temporal paradox it mentioned was if I were to have told it or its master the theory. Since I haven't had any lengthy discussions with Sesshomaru that would give him such knowledge, that leaves only you to have been the one who told the sword of the theory…the theory that I am telling you of now."

Kagome shook her head to try and clear a path through the confusion she was creating for herself, but after a deep breath she continued.

"The cause: you told Tenseiga of the theory. The effect: it told you. The problem: Tenseiga gave you this knowledge at a time that came before it had ever been crafted. Therefore: the effect came before the cause. However, the paradox becomes evident when you ask yourself which was truly the cause. Was it that Tenseiga brought me here and allowed me to tell you about the theory in the first place, or was it that you had the knowledge and told Tenseiga to give it to you when it was asked to? See the problem?"

"Not…really." Toga replied, but as he thought about it, another example came to mind. "You said that you were exposed to Sesshomaru's poison and it didn't affect you, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"So if I use your example as a template, I can think of another example." He paused as he sorted through his thoughts, and Kagome waited anxiously to see what he would say. Eventually he continued. "I gave you my blood to replace what you lost and to accelerate your healing. I know that it often happens that the receiver of gifted blood often acquires some of the innate defenses of the donor."

"Kinda like antibodies?" Kagome interrupted, only to be greeted by a look that told her she had accidentally used a modern-day term that no one but her would understand. "Never mind," she grumbled, "Please, continue."

"As I was saying," Toga looked at her sideways trying to tell her he wasn't pleased with the interruption, but when she stuck her tongue out at him because of it, 'humphed' and crossed her arms over her chest, he couldn't help but release a low chuckle at the girl's antics. She really was something else.

He cleared his throat. "As I was saying, my blood would likely give you defenses against my poison or of any that descend from my bloodline. So, since you have already been exposed to said poison with no effect, would it be fair to say that the beneficial effect of the blood I have given you has occurred before the actual cause?"

Kagome blinked slowly as she worked through his reasoning. It sounded like a fair enough explanation. After all, she had been just as surprised as Sesshomaru (and yes he was surprised…even if all he did was lift his eyebrows ever so slightly before glaring at her with all his might) when she emerged from that pile of bubbly, fuming, leftovers which his poison had crated.

"I guess that makes sense," she relented, "If any of this makes sense, that is."

Toga couldn't help but agree with that statement. He would certainly be pondering over this encounter for a long time to come. But, unfortunately, the other information that Tenseiga had supplied him with told him that he would not be allowed much time with this interesting creature. There was something else that she had been brought here to understand.

"There is another sword."

"What?"

It was highly amusing to watch the girl flip through her emotions so quickly. She could go from sounding intense and thoughtful in one moment, to disgruntled and annoyed in the next, to excited and cheerful only a moment after that. But Toga just took her flip-flopping moods as par for the course when it came to the unusual girl, and continued with his explanation.

"Tenseiga says that Sesshomaru has been searching for another sword. It says that he believes I have hidden another blade somewhere and didn't tell him about it."

"Did you?" Immediately after her question, Kagome realized how stupid it sounded, but she was quite pleased when he didn't call her on it and continued.

"Apparently there is another item. Tenseiga is uncertain what or where it is. It seems I knew that Sesshomaru would drill the fang for answers and did not want for him to uncover the secrets until the time was right. And apparently, that time is now."

Kagome didn't like the look he was giving her. It was very similar to the look that Kaede had given to her before she explained that she was supposed to be the guardian of the Shikon no Tama. It was a look that meant there was even more about to be added to her list of 'Things that would make my life so much easier if they didn't exist'. She sighed, knowing that even though she was keeping track of those things that made her very different from every other young girl from her time, there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

"It's because of me isn't it?" She asked even though she knew the answer. "I'm supposed to help Sesshomaru find what he's looking for aren't I?"

"It would seem so."

"You know he doesn't like humans, right? He'd probably kill me for even daring to tell him that his 'Great and Terrible' father would lower himself to speak with a 'worthless' human."

"You are not worthless." The statement made Kagome gape at him in open disbelief. Toga took in the gesture as something that needed to be remedied, and proceeded to tell the young woman why he would never make such a degrading statement about her. "You have conviction and spirit. You are well educated and yet would still listen to the suggestions of others who may not possess what knowledge you do. You are brave but not foolishly so. You defend your friends with words of loyalty and compassion, but would also do so for those not considered friend. You are strong of will if not of body and possess a great deal of power. Why is it you would so easily accept the idea that someone might think you worthless?"

"I…I don't know." That was what she said, but neither she nor Toga believed a word of it.

"Feh, foolish girl." He dismissed her, bringing out her ire full force.

"Well I don't see how it's any of your business!" she snapped.

"It is my business if I am about to send you on a quest with my son. Perhaps I should find someone who has enough faith in their abilities as to not simply lie down and accept death after only defeating one of two simple Onis."

"Why you…" Kagome fumed. "That was your fault! You led me into that clearing on purpose because you knew that those Oni were there!"

"So what if I did? I would not have done so if you were not following me."

"I wouldn't have been following you if you had just come out and talked to me instead of going off to play hide-and-seek!"

"Oh? And how was it that you were able to follow me?"

"I'm a miko, you baka! I can sense the auras of those around me."

Toga smirked, it was a gesture that should have made her cower with fear because whenever said smirk was gracing the lips of the youkai's son it meant that something was about to die. But Toga is not Sesshomaru, and besides that, Kagome was far too pissed off to be intimidated.

"Auras hm," he mused with renewed amusement over the woman's mood-swings. This was the perfect opportunity to see what she was capable of and to help alleviate some of her ill-justified concerns of her own abilities. "Like this?"

He released one of the seals reining in his power, causing his aura to flare up around him in a terrifying blanket of devastating and raw power…well…terrifying if you weren't one sorely pissed off miko. Kagome met his burst of power with one of her own, allowing the brilliant blue of her aura to encase her in its calming swirl of radiant power.

The two powers collided with explosive force, but neither was about to back away from the challenge. Toga's smirk turned into a full-blown smile as he released another barrier and allowed the wild crimson flames of his power to dance around him in a heated caress. But Kagome rose to his challenge, forgetting for the moment to fear the unknown and exhilarating feeling of releasing such a great force. Her aura surged around her, the peaceful blue hues clashing against the burning crimson and creating a sea of turbid violet where the two forces collided.

The feelings she was experiencing were incredible. Kagome had never known her powers were capable of simply being as they were now. Before she had always called upon the miko powers that had lain dormant in her soul to infuse her arrows with enough magic to bring down an opponent, and even then there was never this feeling. The power she could feel was raw and untouched, it was enormous and incredible; but it was hers, and she knew that all she had to do was will it to be and somehow it would be.

It was Kagome who issued the next challenge, testing the limits of her abilities, drawing out power from the deepest recesses of her soul, reveling in the moment of being able to face an opponent that would challenge her without wishing her harm, finding joy and satisfaction that she was here and testing strengths against someone who even Sesshomaru, who would give respect to no one, respected as powerful and formidable. She was filled with new understanding and conviction. She was riding a wave of power without fear of an undercurrent that would bring her down. Her whole body glowed with the brilliance of her own light, and in her eyes was ignited a flame of faith and belief in herself whose spark had gone too long without being fanned into such a radiant blaze.

Surprised would be an understatement for what Toga was feeling when the girl unleashed such power. He had known that she was holding back before, but when she forced him to hastily break through enough of the barriers holding his power in check that he found himself teetering on the edge of having to release all control he currently had over the humanoid body he had formed and converting back into his true from, he decided that practice time had come swiftly to an end. Though he knew that the girl knew much of his kind, he was still uncertain of what she would do if confronted with his beast. Besides, his purpose of coaxing the girl in this exercise had been for her to understand herself, and that had been accomplished with far better results that he had even hoped for.

He reached out and took her hands gently in his own. Kagome startled for a moment at the contact, but when she saw the soft look of approval in his eyes and the gentle smile on his lips, she smiled at him in return in thanks for what he had done. Both of them began to collect back the swells of energy that they had released, and soon they were left as they were before: simply two beings but with a newfound respect for the other.

"Thank you," Kagome whispered, only to blush when he squeezed gently on her hands which she had completely forgotten were still in his.

"No one shall tell you of your worth. That is something only you can decide for yourself."

He drew back from her after she had nodded her acceptance to the truth of his statement, but paused to chuckle when she released a rather large and noisy yawn.

"Looks like I have exhausted you." He laughed as he decided he wasn't quite finished playing with the young woman. "And here I was hoping I could find other ways to do that."

Kagome stuttered, paled then blushed heatedly, stuttered again, opened and closed her mouth a couple of times with no result, then, finally…finally…managed to bring about her response.

"HENTAI!" She screamed at him, only to be rewarded with another low and very amused chuckle.

"Go to sleep, Kagome" He said, his voice still carrying a great deal of his amusement. "I will bring you back to your well in the morning once you have fully recovered."

Kagome gaped once more at the youkai. Toga was definitely NOT what she had been expecting of the great Inu no Taisho…no he wasn't what she had been expecting…he was much more than she had expected…much more than she had even dreamed. There was no question in her mind why or how this young youkai before her would become the great general and ruler she had heard tale about, it was simply him and it was meant to be. She smiled and closed her eyes, trusting him as much as she would Inuyasha to keep her safe while she slept in a strange world.

Toga watched as the young woman drifted off to sleep. He had wished to speak to her more, but he realized that she was correct when she had said that having knowledge of the future could change the timeline too much to chance it. He sighed as he began sorting through what he had come to learn and what he should do about it, but there was simply so much that he knew he would not have the time to find any real solutions before the girl awakened.

There was, however, one thing that he could do for her to prepare her for the quest he…or was it his future self? Whatever, it was the quest that he was sending her on, and he would not allow this special girl to fall to harm because of him if he could help it. With that in mind, Toga allowed his senses to stretch out and scan the area for any threats. There were none, which really didn't surprise him being the pulse of their powers that still hung heavily in the air. Then he checked on Kagome one last time to make sure she was deep in sleep before he departed to find what…or rather who…he was looking for.

TTTTTTTTTT

Morning came with a swiftness that that was regretted by both the young miko and the one-day Inu Lord. Each had been silently hoping for more time with the other and each was reluctant to part company with one who had given them so much insight into themselves; but still, each knew that this parting was one that must occur.

Kagome looked down into the darkened depths of the old well and sighed heavily. Though she knew she had to return, she wished that there was some way for her to not have to say goodbye…because it would be goodbye…because in the time she was headed Toga would be…

"Kagome." His speaking her name pulled her away from her thoughts and she turned to face him. "I want you to have this."

He held out a golden chain…or at least she thought it was golden, but the way it caught the light and sparkled as though it were a gem in of itself made her wonder. Affixed to the chain was a breathtaking pendant of amethyst and sapphire shaped as a sun broken by a crescent moon.

Kagome drew in a shaky breath. She couldn't accept this gift, it was simply too exquisite. It was something one would give a lover, not someone they just met. But Toga saw her hesitation, and spoke before she would be given the chance to say no.

"This belongs to my mother. It was given to her by my father as a…" he paused, and Kagome was supremely amused by the way the stripes on his cheeks deepened in color and she realized the reason why youkai never really blushed. But Toga fought off his embarrassment and continued. "It was a gift to signify his intent to mate her."

A pause.

"You want to…wait….what?" Now it was Kagome's turn to become embarrassed.

"It is not what you are thinking." Both released a slight sigh of relief. "The necklace is enchanted with many powerful protection spells. It will afford you some protection in what may lie ahead."

"Ohhhh," To say that Kagome was relieved that she had not just been proposed to by someone who had died nearly a thousand years before she had been born and who was also the father of the one she currently had…special…feelings for, would be a bigger understatement than saying she had been shocked the first time she had been pulled down the well.

Toga smirked a little at the look of relief that had taken over the young woman's face, but though it was a very comical expression he couldn't help but feel slightly cheated by it. There was a part of him that wished this fiery girl could be the one that would stand by him through the long and tiring years, but the larger part of him realized that such a destiny was not his to have. They would walk separate paths apart by hundreds if not thousands of years, and there was nothing he could do to change that.

Throwing aside thoughts that were useless and unproductive, Toga gestured for Kagome to turn so he could assist her with putting on the enchanted necklace. Kagome blushed prettily as she did what he had asked and lifted her hair from her neck to help. Still, despite what he knew he could not change, Toga couldn't help but to appreciate the soft and tender quality of her skin as his fingers brushed against it and the warmth he could feel radiating from her due to her deep blush.

When he had finished and moved away from her, Kagome released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She couldn't quite grasp onto the idea of this youkai, father of both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, feared and respected by so many, enormous and powerful beyond her imaginings; could be here with her and treating her so gently. But as she turned to look at his face, she realized that such a thing should not be so hard for her to understand. After all, he was Inuyasha's father, and she had already seen many traits that she so admired in her friend in the youkai before her. But that knowledge made her pause again in wonder, because she had seen many things in him that had reminded her of Sesshomaru as well.

"Goodbye, Kagome."

She was yanked out of her thoughts with frightening immediacy. She knew the time had come to say goodbye, but she wanted so desperately to be able to do so without the knowledge that this would be the last time she would ever see him. Tears began to form in her eyes as she made her farewell. She knew there was nothing she could do or say to change what was destined to be.

"Goodbye," She whispered to him in a broken voice, then turned swiftly to the well to keep from him the pain she was feeling.

"Remember," he said to her before she could depart, "The time you spent here and what we talked about."

"I will," she promised. "I could never forget."

And then she took hold of the rim of the well and used it to pull herself over and take the plunge into the awaiting portal. As she fell, the tears she had been holding at bay began to fall, for she knew what it was that would lay ahead for Toga. The colors of the time portal burst forth all around her, and the humming of the demonic blade secured against her back pulsed and surged with a magic of its own; but it was all lost to the miko who could not hold back her glistening tears.

Tears of the mourning.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

I have to say that I was sorely tempted to just leave Kagome there with Inu no Taisho. I like the idea of him being a mix of both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's personalities. A strategist: calm and calculating like Sesshomaru; but also someone who can express his emotions and be playful and challenging like Inuyasha. Sigh. But this is supposed to be a Sess/Kag fic, so I can't give in to that temptation. Ah well, it's more fun trying to crack the icy lord anyways.

Well, that's it for today. Later

Shadow

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Too bad, because I could think of some great way to entertain myself if I did have some of the cast of Inuyasha at my disposal Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on writing fanfiction.


	4. Tears of the Jovial

Tears of the Jovial

Tears of the Jovial

When the magic of the enchanted well began to fade away, the young miko found herself immersed in darkness. She looked up from the depths of the old well and, after her vision had been given a moment to adjust, she realized that the darkness was not due to the night but to the enclosure that surrounded the well.

'The well house,' She realized, 'I'm home.'

Kagome's heart skipped with joy when it finally sank in that her trip backwards in time had not hindered her ability to return to her era. With elation filling her every motion, she made her way out of the old well and burst through the doorway of the enclosure. The smells and sounds of the modern world surrounded her in their comforting familiarity. Though to many the tainted smells of smog and pollution sullying the air and the throng of shouts and honks and engine roars from the streets below the shrine would be considered troublesome nuisances, to her they were a breath of fresh air (well, not exactly fresh, but you get the picture right?).

Everything was how she had left it, and, for the next day or two at least, she would be allowed a normal life like every other teenage girl in her time. School, shopping, going out with friends, even watching T.V. with her little brother or eating dinner with her family; mundane tasks that her friends would always bemoan about, were tasks that she looked forward to with ecstatic glee because they were tasks that would remind her that, when all of the miko powers and Shikon shards and battles were stripped away, she was just a normal girl.

"Mom!" She called out as she dashed towards the house. "I'm home!"

Kagome barely heard her mom's greeting as she hastily threw off her shoes, dropped her heavy pack and her weapons, and made a dash for the washroom. There was nothing, NOTHING like a long, hot shower after returning from wandering around the countryside and engaging in battles that usually left a person doused in the absolutely foulest smelling substances on earth.

Mrs. Higurashi caught a glimpse of her daughter's retreating form from the base of the stairs, but she merely shook her head. There was nothing she could do to stop the girl from a destiny long foretold for her, but she could be here to greet her when she returned and to offer her warmth and comfort when the harsh world she traveled in would deny it to her.

Kagome had always been a special girl, and Mrs. Higurashi had known from the moment of her daughter's birth that she was destined for something special. Of course, the fact that HE had been there to witness the birth had been a dead giveaway. But then, he didn't know that while he was watching her that she had been watching him. She may not be as gifted as her daughter, but when one descends from a long line of priestesses and is raised in a shrine, there are certain things that are picked up along the way. And a demonic aura that large is not something that is usually missed.

Still, knowing that her daughter was meant for something great did not ease her concerns for the girl's welfare along the way. Kagome was strong, she knew, but even the strongest; no, especially the strongest beings were tested to the limits of their abilities as they traveled their path in life. And for Kagome, her trials were just beginning.

So Mrs. Higurashi did all that she knew she could do. She washed and cleaned her daughters traveling gear, packed and repacked her bag with food and clothing and medical supplies, gave her a warm meal and a soft bed to sleep in when she returned, and was always there as a shoulder to cry on when it was needed or as simply someone to talk to when Kagome was willing or able to tell her of her problems. She did all she could without trying to interfere. She did all any mother could do to make sure her daughter was happy and safe. But like all mothers, there was only so much she could do; because in the end it was Kagome that would have to face her fears and the creatures from her nightmares. And all Mrs. Higurashi could hope was that when that time came, that her daughter would not feel that she was alone.

With a resigned sigh, Mrs. Higurashi blocked away any further thoughts of a future that had yet to be written and went about her chores. One thing at a time was all she could do, and first things first: that pile that Kagome had so graciously dumped in the doorway.

She gathered up the muddied shoes and gear that her daughter had left in a heap in her rush, but she was quite surprised when from the tangled pile of Kagome's things a sword clattered down to the ground. Still, strange as it was for Kagome to be carrying a sword, being that among the rest of her things was also included a bow and a quiver of arrows, Mrs. Higurashi simply took it in stride. After all, it wouldn't be a bad thing if Kagome was picking up defensive sword techniques from Inuyasha or her taijiya friend Sango.

So, she bent down and gathered up the sword as well. It seemed to her that the blade could use some polishing anyways. Apparently the sword agreed with her, because immediately after the thought it pulsed with a warming surge that filled her with its feeling of appreciation. Mrs. Higurashi smiled, and then laughed a little to herself. It really was amazing what sorts of things a person could get used to; demons, half-demons, sentient blades…Yup, all common place.

Welcome to the Higurashi shrine.

TTTTTTTTTT

Not far away from the Higurashi shrine, on the top floor of a high-rise in the business district, another sword was pulsing in response to the proximity of…well...itself.

Tenseiga shook within its sheath and rattled against the restraints placed on it by the damn wall fixture it had been settled on for far too long. Oh how it longed to be free again, to be carried and cared for, to be used; not to be forgotten upon some blasted wall and left to rot…not like it could rot, but it still didn't like being left hanging there with nothing to do for an eternity.

So it shook and rattled and begged its master to hear its plea to be released, and soon its pleas were answered. Its master lifted it from the restraints of its hold and secured it in his grasp to hear the message that it could give him.

"So it is time."

Tenseiga pulsed merrily, thinking that its confounded isolation would finally be coming to an end, but its master had other ideas.

"Silence." He ordered before returning the fang to its resting place.

Sesshomaru spared a look at his wristwatch. It was barely early enough for the sun to be up, and yet here he was in his office doing…paperwork. Of all the things that he could be doing, the mighty Inu Lord of the Western lands was doing paperwork! Oh how he loathed paperwork! But then, there wasn't anyone else in his company that he would trust to be competent enough to do it without breaking down everything that he had built over his long life. And so here he was, at some wretched hour of the morning, doing what he loathed, just to spare himself the burden of picking up the scattered mess of some incompetent employee.

How he longed for the days when he didn't have to worry about legalities and politics, and all he had to do to keep his empire running was to confront his adversaries with his sword in hand. A few pints…or gallons…depending on how lenient he was feeling on the particular day…of blood later, and all his problems would be solved.

'It's all that damn miko's fault.' He thought to himself in aggravation.

That thought though, produced a smirk for old time's sake. It had been quite some time since he had thought of the miko in that sense. Then again, it had been quite some time since the particular smirk on his lips had been seen, since said smirk was one reserved solely for the enjoyment of battle…battle that had, unfortunately, been in short supply since the laws of man had dominated the world.

However, as tempted as he often was to simply go off and gut one of his business rivals, he was always held back by what had happened the last time she found out how he liked to conduct business. The memory still made him shiver…well…not shiver…shivering is what weak-willed simpletons did when confronted with horrors of such magnitude. He, Sesshomaru, did not shiver at the mere thought of…but the memory was still so clear in his mind. If anything, the woman definitely knew how to get her point across.

She hadn't told him that she knew, of course. That would have ruined her plan. But he should have known. He should have known that the woman was never, NEVER so docile and demure. Even walking in the gardens as they had been at the time and surrounded by the gleeful voices of the children of the settlement, many of them relatives of the extended family that had been created over the years; even then he should have known something was not right because she was never so calm.

She had led him right into the mass of children. He didn't mind so much. Some of the youth were family, his or Rin's, and the others may as well have been. And they all knew him well enough to keep a respectable distance…or at least they did…until she had ruined it all.

That damned miko.

She had turned on him so quickly that he barely had time to register the fact that she had moved. Of course, the fact that she had used his own father's will against him had made things utterly unfair. Before he knew it, she had saddled him with a sacred sutra that even he couldn't fight against. The thing broke through every barrier holding his demonic presence at bay, and in an instant, his true form was revealed in all its glory.

The shill cries from the children still made him want to cover his ears. But do you think they were cries of fear or horror as they should have been? Oh no. No, these cries were far more disgusting and unpalatable.

"OOOHHH!! PUPPY!!" They had cried, and he soon found himself covered with dozens of little gnats…or children if you would prefer.

For the first time in his life, he found that there was nothing he could do. He couldn't risk shaking the children off of himself or they might have been injured. Of course it wasn't that he was above causing a few bumps and bruises on children who were stupid enough to latch onto his person in such a way, it was just that he didn't want to be forced to listen to the irate mothers after the deed had been done…and there would have been many of them…many who had no fear of raising their voices to him.

'How did things end up like this?' He recalled asking himself as he was forced to endure the children's games which had expanded to include climbing over him in some twisted game of King of the Mountain. When had the fear vanished? How was it that even his threatening growls and the snapping of his great maw that signified his displeasure could be greeted with gleeful giggles and cries instead of horror-filled screams?

It was all that damn miko's fault.

And all she had done was fall to the ground squealing out her laughter at his expense.

That damned miko.

But now it was time for it all to begin again. Things set in motion thousands of years ago…or was it that they had began with the miko? Blasted temporal paradoxes! As if he didn't have enough problems. Still, the events that had been set in motion were playing out, and it was time to fulfill his part.

Sesshomaru spared one last glance at the piles of paperwork on his desk, lifted his lip in a slight snarl with the knowledge that it would only be doubled by the time he returned, then turned away from his desk and exited the room.

He had a miko to find.

As he left his office though, the smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen on the other side of the building gave him pause. Bacon was on the menu this morning. Of course, he usually wouldn't eat human food…but there was just something about bacon that he couldn't ignore.

And THAT was all the damn miko's fault as well.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Kagome?" Mrs. Higurashi called to her daughter. "Before you go to school, could you help me with the groceries please?"

"Sure mom."

Mrs. Higurashi handed her daughter one of the many bulging bags of groceries she had been struggling with. She always did get extra when she knew she would be supplying Kagome's pack. After all, the girl had a whole group to feed. She had even found a special treat that she was hoping to sneak in while Kagome wasn't looking.

"Hey mom?" Kagome questioned as she shifted through the contents of the bag she had been given. "What's this? Bacon?"

Mrs. Higurashi sighed her displeasure. So much for keeping it a surprise.

"No dear," she responded. "They are special treats…for Buyo."

"Buyo? But there's a picture of a dog right on the package. Why would you be giving Buyo doggie treats?"

Though it is the place for a mother to be proud of their children being bright and quick on the pickup, Mrs. Higurashi couldn't help but wish that just this once Kagome wouldn't have been.

"Alright," she finally relented, "They aren't for Buyo. I thought that maybe Inuyasha would like them."

"You want me to give Inuyasha doggie treats?" Kagome questioned incredulously.

"Well…" Mrs. Higurashi answered slowly, "He is a dog demon after all…and with all those times you make him 'sit' for you…" she shrugged. "I thought that maybe he would appreciate a special treat just for him. You're always sneaking candy for that little fox kit after all."

"Yeah," Kagome could feel the giggle rising up in her, and she had to press down on it hard so that it couldn't escape, "But mom, Inuyasha is part human too. I don't know if he'd like being treated like a dog."

Mrs. Higurashi just shrugged again. "Whatever you say, dear. But you never know until you try. And if he doesn't like them, you could always offer them to that wolf friend of yours."

At this, Kagome snickered, unable to completely suppress the reflex as her troublesome imagination supplied her with an image of Koga drooling over her treats instead of her assets. That image was soon followed by adding in Inuyasha, who never wanted to be left out of anything that she and the wolf were doing, and he too was obeying her commands of 'sit', 'lie down', and 'roll over'.

By this time, Kagome's laughter would not be held at bay. But if she thought the images her imagination was supplying her with were funny now, she would soon find out that they could get a whole lot funnier.

"Oh! I'm forgetting someone aren't I" Mrs. Higurashi mused as she happily played on her daughter's gleeful laughter. "What about that other dog you told me about? Hmmm…what was his name again? Inuyasha's brother…Sesshomaru! Yes, that's it."

That was all Kagome could take. It would be pointless to try and express how utterly wrong, or absolutely hilarious it was when her imagination caught up with her mother's game and provided her with a picture of Sesshomaru begging for his treat. The poor girl couldn't even remain standing due to her peels of laughter. She fell to her knees clutching her sides with painful glee as the joyous chimes of her mirth poured out of her, and from her squinted eyes began to fall sparking tears.

Tears of the jovial.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

I am currently…annoyed…with this chapter. I wanted to jump right back into the whole action/adventure part of this fic. But, unfortunately, there was an item that I wanted for Kagome to acquire in her time and I didn't want to skip over how she had attained it. Then there was the unstoppable urge to follow up on Kagome's earlier thoughts of giving Sesshomaru a biscuit. And, of course, I didn't want Kagome to always be crying over things that are sad and painful…and since it is my hope that I can end each chapter with her tears, I needed something funny for her to revel in.

Whatever, 'tis all I have for today.

Later

Shadow

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Too bad, because I could think of some great way to entertain myself if I did have some of the cast of Inuyasha at my disposal Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on writing fanfiction.


	5. Tears of the Flustered

Tears of the Flustered

Tears of the Flustered

"Bye Mom!"

"Goodbye, Kagome. Have a good day at school."

"Kay!"

Kagome set out from her home, her school pack settled on her shoulders, ready for a long day at school. Her homework was…well…mostly done, and she was prepared for the scores more that she would obtain during this visit to her time. For many girls her age, figuring out how to do all of the assignments and problems given out to the students by themselves would prove quite the challenge, but for Kagome it had become a necessity. And after many long and hard months of struggling through her text books and reference manuals, she had finally gotten the process down to a fine art…more or less.

There were always a few problems that she couldn't quite manage and the odd note or passage of importance that was handed out in class….but then, that's what friends are for. And luckily for Kagome, she had friends that were more than willing to help her out now and then. For a price of course, a price that usually centered around divulging the intimate details of her love life…or lack there of.

Still, Kagome was very grateful for her friends, even if they tended to be a bit on the pushy side when it came to the men in her life. They just couldn't understand why she always stayed with Inuyasha if he treated her so poorly, but then they didn't understand that there was no way for her to avoid Inuyasha and complete her quest for the Shikon no Tama…and live, that is.

And then there was Hojo. Nice, sweet, simple, more boring than watching paint dry or grass grow; Hojo. The girls were always pushing Kagome to hook up with Hojo. 'He's the most popular guy at school,' they would beam with excitement, 'and he likes you, Kagome! He likes YOU! Why don't you just give him a chance?' The problem was, she had given him a chance, and all he had managed to do was bore her to tears. Her friends would understand that if they only had five minutes alone with the guy, but then again, her friends weren't used to guys that were strong and fearless and battle-ready for the always-present impending doom of her alternate life.

"KAGOME!"

At the sound of her name, Kagome turned and looked back sown the sidewalk.

'Speak of the devil.' She smiled and waved at Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi as they made their way towards her.

"Hey girl!' Yuka cried. "You're going to school today? That's great!"

"Yes, we haven't seen you in so long, Kagome," Eri added.

"You look good!" said Ayumi in slight shock as she scanned over Kagome's form. "I didn't know gangrene could clear up so fast."

'Ewwwww! Grandpa!' Kagome squealed in her mind. 'What are you trying to do to me? It's bad enough I always have to pretend to be sick, but gangrene? That's so gross!'

"Oh that," Kagome laughed nervously, "Don't worry about that guys. I'm fine." A change of topic was definitely on the agenda. "So, what's been going on guys? Any hot gossip?"

Thankfully, her friends took the bait and began divulging to her the scandalous news of the past few weeks that she had missed while she was 'sick'. Kagome listened to the tales of intrigue with at least half and ear…or so…that is until the girls decided that since they had already heard all of the stories that they should change to their next favorite topic: Kagome's love life.

"So, Kagome?" Yuka asked suggestively as she nudged her friend with her elbow. "How's that two-timing boyfriend of yours?"

"Inuyasha?"

"No the other two-timing boyfriend!" Of course, at this, Kagome was tempted to bring up Koga and his two-timing ways again just to throw the girls off, but Yuka beat her to it. "Of course Inuyasha!"

When Kagome failed to answer right away, Eri was quick to jump to conclusions. "Did the two of you have another fight? About the other woman again?"

"No," Kagome replied hastily. Though part of what Eri had said was true and she and Inuyasha had had another fight, they weren't fighting about Kikyo…this time…so she wasn't exactly lying. "Actually, I met his father."

Three excited squeals of 'REALLY??' greeted Kagome's ears, and as she took in all of their expectant expressions, she realized that her friends weren't about to let her leave that bit of information as it was.

"He was…nice." Kagome ventured hesitantly.

"Was he handsome?" Yuka questioned. "You know, you can tell a lot about what a guy will look like when he's older by the way his father looks."

"Handsome…" Well, that was one way to put it, though Kagome would have been more tempted to say 'Hot damn!' and 'Sexy!', but instead she simply agreed. "I suppose you could say he was handsome."

"What did you talk about?" Ayumi was quick to pick up on the fact that Kagome didn't really look like she wanted to talk about it, but that just made her even more curious so she pressed even harder. "Did you talk about Inuyasha? Does he know about the other woman? Did he tell you which of you he prefers? Come on, Kagome. Spill!"

"Well…" Briefly, Kagome wondered why it was never any of their love lives that was on the agenda for dissecting, but since that was just the way things seemed to go, she continued with her reluctant disclosure of her meeting with Toga. "We talked about Inuyasha some, and about his brother Sesshomaru. Toga doesn't know about the other woman, but if I were to guess, I think he might like me better. He seemed really taken with me." she giggled, lost in her memories of the encounter. Poor Kagome, she should have known better than to say what she said next. "Actually, I think he might have been hitting on me."

"WHAT??"

Kagome gulped when she realized what she had just said. Of course it would sound bad if her 'boyfriend's' father was hitting on her, especially since her friends had no idea that at the time when Kagome had met Toga, Inuyasha hadn't even been born yet. She looked around frantically for an escape. They were close to the school, but close wasn't good enough. Her friends wanted answers, and they would barricade Kagome from the school's entrance if need be to get them.

But luckily for Kagome, her escape was presented to her in the form of Hojo. Boring or not, she would have given just about anything to get away from answering the questions that no doubt had arisen due to her previous statement. So Kagome took in a deep breath and called out to Hojo, leaving her friends behind her in a cloud of dust as she made her speedy exit.

"Hey Hojo!" She greeted cheerily when she caught up to the older boy.

"Kagome!" Hojo graced her with a wide smile as he turned to greet her. "It's so good to see you. Are you sure that it's alright for you to be up and about though?"

"Of course it's alright. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, I thought that your osteoporosis was acting up again. You must be careful with such things, Kagome. You wouldn't was to end up with some needlessly broken bones."

"Right…" she answered slowly as she tried to remember what exactly osteoporosis was, but after drawing a blank, she decided just to change the topic. "No worries, Hojo. As you can see I'm healthy as a horse!"

"I'm so happy! So, does that mean that you will be able to attend the carnival with me? It opens tonight, and I thought that we could go together."

"The carnival!" Kagome jumped in surprise when she heard Yuka's voice. She turned to see her, and discovered that she, along with Eri and Ayumi, had covertly snuck up on her so that they could eavesdrop on her conversation with Hojo…well…that and try to get her to go out with him…again.

"Going to the carnival would be so fun, Kagome!" Ayumi cried.

"Yes, you should definitely go," Agreed Eri.

"Well…I…"

"Oh, before I forget," Hojo reached into his pocket and brought out a silver bracelet. It was a slip-on bracelet shaped in a half-moon. The upper side was flattened, and the ends tapered off before being finished on each edge with a round ball. It was…ugly. "This is a special magnetic bracelet. It's supposed to cleanse the blood and help to fight off infection. I though that after your last bout with tuberculosis you could use it."

"Gee," Kagome replied as thankfully as she could…which still sounded like she was being placating. "Thanks Hojo."

Hojo beamed, completely oblivious to the fact that not only did Kagome not want the gift, but that she had no need for its intended purpose. He took hold of Kagome's hand tentatively and proceeded to slip the bracelet on her wrist. Kagome looked down at the silver bracelet now adorning her wrist, and plastered her best fake smile on her lips.

"It's so…original."

"Why thank you," Hojo replied, again oblivious to the fact that Kagome was merely being polite and that she had no intention of keeping the ugly thing on her wrist a minute longer than was absolutely necessary. "Now about that carnival, will you come with me tonight, Kagome?"

"I'm afraid that Miss. Higurashi has other engagements for this evening."

The smooth, deep voice had Kagome as well as all her friends turning so that they could see the man. He was very tall, towering over the girls and even Hojo by at least a foot. His suit was top of the line, Armani, if Kagome wasn't mistaken, and the soft off-white color of the coat and pant set were contrasted sharply with the deep crimson of the silk top underneath. His long, dark hair was held back in a simple tie at the base of his neck, giving a perfect view of his deeply tanned skin, the sharply handsome features of his face, and the striking blue of his eyes.

Still, despite what she was seeing with her eyes, Kagome could feel the pull of her miko powers that warned her not to be deceived. There was magic at work here, and as she brought the barest hint of her powers to the surface, the glamour began to fade. Instead of skin deeply tanned, she could see pale alabaster; instead of hair dark like the night, she could see shimmering silver; instead of eyes light blue like the afternoon sky, she could see piercing gold; and where there had been no markings or symbols of his heritage, Kagome could see the deep cut crimson crossing his cheeks and the soft blue hues of the crescent moon on his brow.

"Se….Ses….Sess….Sessho…"

He calmly lifted an eyebrow at the stuttering girl before speaking. "Correct, Miss. Higurashi, Sessho; though I believe that formalities would be more fitting: Dr. Maru. Or have you forgotten? Surely you recall that I specifically told you that you are not to engage in any extracurricular activities until your health has returned fully. Home and school. No more unless you plan on spending more time with me in the hospital."

Somewhere far away, Kagome could hear Hojo agreeing that her health must come first, Eri and Ayumi begging her forgiveness for trying to push her into going out, and Yuka swooning over the handsome 'doctor'. But all Kagome could focus on was the fact that Sesshomaru was standing in front of her, in her time, in an Armani suit, speaking with her as though it were completely natural, and pretending that he was her doctor for the make-believe disorders her grandfather created to get her out of school while she traveled in the feudal era.

So, she did what any other girl would have done in her position.

She fainted.

Sesshomaru smirked slightly as he watched the young miko's eyes roll back into her head; then used his lightning reflexes to catch her before she could fall to the ground. He lifted her in his arms, dismissed her friends with assurances that she was simply over-exerted, then turned and began carrying her away.

As he left the girl's alarmed friends behind though, he was preparing himself for when the miko awoke. Because when she did, it could be guaranteed that she was not going to be pleased.

TTTTTTTTTT

"SESSHOMARU!"

Kagome shot up in her bed, panting heavily as she tried to clear away the lingering traces of her dream.

'A dream?' she asked herself. 'Was it all a dream?'

She took a moment to look around. She was definitely in her own room. It was a little strange that she was in bed in her school uniform, but then, it wouldn't have been the first time she snuck back under the covers to get a few more minutes of sleep before she would have to make the dash for school.

'Oh no! School!'

One look at the clock on her bedside table though, told her that she was beyond late for school. It was almost noon! Kagome scrambled off of her bed, grabbed her backpack from by her desk, and flew to the door.

"Mom!" She cried as she dashed down the stairs. "Why didn't you wake me up?!"

She was in the middle of putting on her shoes…which involved mostly hopping on one foot while trying to tug a loafer onto the other…when a strong demonic aura made her pause mid-hop. Slowly she looked up to where she felt the presence, and promptly lost her balance and fell on her butt when she realized that he was in her house, watching her in her scramble.

"Sesshomaru?" She questioned weakly from her position on the floor.

Then realization hit her full-force. What she had earlier thought was a dream, had actually happened. And now, now that stuck-up, smug, school-ruining, doctor-pretending, arrogant, son-of-a-demon was smirking at her in amusement.

"Sesshomaru!" she screamed as she pulled herself to her feet and pointed a finger at him accusingly. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?!"

Immediately after her outburst, Kagome realized just who it was she was yelling at. Her eyes widened apprehensively, her accusing finger fell limply to her side, and she unconsciously took a small step backwards from the intimidating youkai.

For Sesshomaru though, that had not been the first time he had been forced to be the outlet for the woman's short temper, and he was most certain it would not be the last. He had learned long ago to take her irate outbursts in stride, but to see her back away from him in fear was bothering. How much things had changed. Still, he just couldn't resist playing on a fear that he hadn't seen in centuries, and which would soon evaporate into nothing more than a memory.

"I do as I please miko." He informed her as he took a step forward so that she would be forced to look up at him. "It will serve you well to remember that."

Kagome took another step back from him, but all it managed to do for her was to back her into the door at her back. She was trapped. Her heart beat wildly as a slow and dangerous smirk worked its way onto Sesshomaru's lips and he took another step towards her. He was right in front of her, so close that she could nearly feel her chest brushing up against his as she drew in her shortened breaths.

"Kagome?"

Her mother's voice pulled her away from her fear of being trapped by Sesshomaru. But as she slowly turned her head towards the voice, a whole new apprehension began to consume her. There was a killing machine in her home, and only her to protect her family.

However, her mother didn't even seem fazed, and she proceeded with her duties as hostess. "Would you and your friend like some tea?"

"Tea?" Of all the things…tea? 'Oh sure mom,' Kagome thought harshly, 'I'll just invite one of my most powerful adversaries for tea. Hey, why don't I ask Naraku to join the party too?'

But Kagome's disgruntled thoughts were interrupted when Sesshomaru turned away from her and spoke to her mother.

"Many regrets, Mrs. Higurashi, but I must decline. I do not eat human food."

And that left Kagome gawking at him as though he had just sprouted a second head. She couldn't believe he had been civil and polite! What had happened to the youkai that thought humans nothing but annoying mushy goo under his feet? What had happened to the being that would sooner lop off one's head before even attempting something as trivial as conversation? Just what was going on?

"Alright," Kagome finally managed to find her voice and her backbone again. "Just who are you and what have you done with Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru smirked again as he turned back to the young miko. Now here was the Kagome that he was used to.

"I am Sesshomaru," he informed her, "Merely an older version of the one you know from 500 years ago."

"What happened?" Kagome asked in awe, still not quite over the fact that she was having a decent conversation with someone whom she had never heard string together more than a few words, and even then they usually contained a death threat of some sort.

"Now that," he mused as his eyes took on a distant, glassy appearance, "Is a story for another day. Come," he motioned for her to follow as he pulled himself away from memories of the past. "We have much to discuss."

Kagome gulped a little. She wasn't sure if this was really a good idea, but then again, she still wasn't sure she was actually speaking with Sesshomaru. At least when he was all cold and distant and 'I'm sooo much better than you' she knew how to deal with him. But now…now she didn't even know where to begin. Still, she would have to get used to his company at some point in time because she knew that she was still supposed to be the one to help him find what he was looking for. So, with a resigned sigh, Kagome followed Sesshomaru into the sitting room so that they could have their discussion.

TTTTTTTTTT

"So, you're saying that Tenseiga isn't going to let me go back?"

"No. You will be permitted to return to the exact moment you left, however, there will be other time periods that you will travel to first."

"But why?"

"Kagome, I already told you, I can't tell you that."

"Wait a minute! Did you just call me by my name?"

"Is that so surprising?"

"YES!!"

"Regardless, this is the task that has been asked of you and I have provided you with all the information I can."

"But you still haven't told me what I'm looking for!"

"There is no need for you to know. You will understand once you have found it."

"But why? Why is it so important that I do this?"

"The item you seek will play a pivotal role in the destruction of Naraku."

"So we defeat Naraku?"

"Yes."

"How?"

Sesshomaru brought his hands up to massage his temples. He knew that this was going to be difficult, but she was proving to be especially stubborn. How was it that the girl could lecture him endlessly about the timeline and the problems that could be created if one knows of the future before it has been written, and yet still be so insistent to know her own future…or past…or whatever.

"Kagome…"

"When did you get your arm back?"

Well…at least her ability to flip-flop her moods was still the same.

"I can't tell you that."

"Why not?! Why did you come here if you weren't going to tell me anything?!"

"I have told you all that I am able."

"Oh, you're so full of…This is ridiculous! If you would just tell me what I want to know then this would be easier on all of us! I would help you find this 'item', we would use it to bring down Naraku, the Shikon no Tama would be completed, the wish made, and then I could come home and get back to the life that I have been denied since I was pulled down the well!"

"It is not as simple as that. It is the journey that is important, Kagome, not the destination."

"What a load of…You're impossible!"

"I could say the same about you."

"Humph!" she exclaimed as she sunk back into the pillows of the couch and crossed her arms over her chest.

Everything he had told her had been useless…well…there was one or two things that she was going to need to know, but for the most part, she had been left completely in the dark. She was so confused and so frustrated, and he was doing nothing to ease her justifiable concerns. Then again, she supposed she shouldn't have been so surprised that Sesshomaru wouldn't be the one to ease her concerns, but there was just something about the way he had been speaking with her that gave her the feeling that perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if he were to try.

Of course, that thought didn't help at all with her frustration. Things were spinning so fast out of her control. If she thought she was lost before when she had met with Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father thousands of years before either of the Inu brothers had been born and he had prepared her for a quest with his eldest son while she was currently on one with the younger of the two, now things had just got even more complicated.

Now she was in her own time, where she wasn't supposed to have to worry about quests or youkai, speaking with the same youkai with whom she was supposed to partake in a quest with, 500 or so years after said quest would have been completed in his point of view. And he wasn't willing to divulge anything to her that would be of any use!

She still had no idea what she was looking for, where she was supposed to begin her search, or how she was supposed to get a younger, human-hating, Sesshomaru to go along with the idea of actually keeping her alive long enough to complete the quest.

She was so confused! Her thoughts were nothing but a scrambled mess that looked worse for the wear than the eggs her mom had prepared for breakfast, and her emotions weren't that far behind. She released a shaky sigh as she tried to come to terms with what was happening, but everything in her life had been thrown in such disarray that she couldn't see clearly the path ahead.

So lost in the impenetrable tangle of duty and responsibility; past, present, and future; and the whirlwinds of emotions that swirled through each delicate weave, the young miko barely realized that from her eyes had begun to spill her heated tears.

Tears of the flustered.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

You know, because of this stupid idea I had to end every chapter with Kagome's tears; I think that I forced myself into writing longer chapters. I mean, really, how many things can a person cry about before you just need to give them a soother and tell them to 'Suck it'? LOL Oh my, I really need to think of better things to write in my author's notes ;P

Anyways, Cheers!

Shadow

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Too bad, because I could think of some great way to entertain myself if I did have some of the cast of Inuyasha at my disposal. Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on writing fanfiction.


	6. Tears of The Innocent

Tears of the Innocent

Tears of the Innocent

Kagome sighed as she looked down into the darkened depths of the old well. Her hands brushed softly against the grained wood as though they could coax some secret from the mystical well that she had been left without. Of course, no answer would be forthcoming. She sighed again.

"I don't suppose," she ventured quietly, "That you could tell me how long this is all going to take?"

"Would it make a difference? Would you act any differently if you knew that your journey would be a day, a week, or even a year?"

She shook her head resignedly as she turned to face him. "I suppose not."

Sesshomaru took in the girl's weary expression. He could see her fear and her hesitations, but he knew that she would find the way. Still, seeing her so lost and frightened, so resigned to a duty that she knew would test her beyond her limits; made him wish that he could have told her of the light that lay beyond the darkness. But he knew he could not. She would have to fight for her future, she would have to struggle through pain and heartache; she would have to find the strength within her to go on.

Though he knew what had happened in his past, because for her those events had yet to happen, he also knew that what he remembered may not be what would transpire. The truth was he could have told her what had taken place in his past, but in doing so he would have robbed her of her ability to choose. And it was her choices that had allowed things to turn out the way they did, it was her conviction and her belief that allowed her to make the journey. Who was he to tell her what those beliefs should be?

Still, he would not allow her to depart on such shaky grounds.

"Do you remember what I told you of your necklace?"

Kagome pulled away from her weary thoughts and set her mind on preparing for what was to come. "That I'm supposed to practice using it as soon as I can."

"Know that it will protect you, but you must be weary of its abilities. If you become too emotional, if you allow your feelings to consume you, the enchantments will be disrupted. You must be cautious."

"Why are you…," It was a question that had nagged at her since he first started speaking to her. He spoke to her as though she were his equal, and though she should have been happy to know that one who had so long hated her and her people had finally come to understand that they were not as different as he would have believed, instead she was frightening by it. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

As she asked a question that he knew would be coming, Sesshomaru still found it difficult to answer. She seemed so small, so fragile. How was he to tell her that this journey would change more than history? How was he to tell her that she would affect more that simply the timeline? How could he let her know without letting her know? How could he give her the comfort he knew she needed without frightening her more than she already was?

But when one is at a loss for what to say, when words simply can't convey the meanings they should, sometimes it is easier to tell the story.

"When I was young," he began the tale, "My father told me of a Warrior Priestess. He spoke of a woman who was strong and brave, compassionate and kind; and beautiful beyond compare. He told me of her perilous fight against the monsters who would have consumed her, and of how, despite the overwhelming odds against her, she prevailed against the darkness with her radiant light. 'Beware,' he had warned 'of the strengths that you can not see, for the Warrior Priestess will always surprise you.' I had asked him why I should beware of a story, of a tale; but do you know what he told me?"

Kagome shook her head, unable to form words as she knew who it was that Toga had been telling his son about.

Sesshomaru saw the recognition in her eyes, and could feel the rising hope that was building within her. He was forced to fight back his approving smile as he continued his tale.

"He told me that one day I would find the gods smiling down upon me, and that on that day, when the sun and the moon rose together, that the Warrior Priestess would come to me and ask me a question."

"What question?" Kagome couldn't contain her excitement, nor could she suppress the unyielding urge to know how this tale would end.

But Sesshomaru would not make things so easy on her. "What, indeed?" he asked as he smirked at the girl's look of bewilderment.

'What, indeed?' Kagome thought to herself in annoyance at once again being left in the dark without any answers to her questions. But as she thought about it, the answer came to her.

"Do you know me?"

"Yes, priestess," he replied as he stepped closer to her and lifted his hand to trail delicately down the side of her face, "I do know you."

Kagome blushed heatedly as her mind raced trying to figure out how to get out of this terribly awkward and yet not nearly as uncomfortable as it should have been; situation with Sesshomaru. But before she could do anything, he had pulled away from her, the soft, approving nature of his stance and expression morphing to once again become the cool and measured, stoic image she was so used to.

"It is time," he told her in a clipped tone that told her there was no more discussion to be had.

At this, Kagome couldn't have been more grateful. Things were just getting…weird. It was one thing for Sesshomaru to be speaking to her and telling her that he knew her from hundreds of years ago even though she had yet to share more than a few words with the youkai, but for him to be the one to bring her comfort when she was feeling lost and to touch her tenderly as one would a lover…THAT was something she was wholly unprepared for.

Kagome nodded dumbly at him, completely unable to say anything in response to what had just happened, and turned to the well. She was just about to leap into its depths, when Sesshomaru's voice made her pause and look back at him over her shoulder.

"My father was right," he said as his lips turned up in an amused smirk of anticipation for her reaction to what he would say. "You are beautiful."

And he would not be disappointed. Kagome was so shocked by what he had said that in her haste to turn fully and see if he was joking…not like she had any reason to believe Sesshomaru knew how to joke, but it was a better explanation than anything else she could come up with…her legs caught on the lip of the well and she lost her balance. The heavy pack secured to her shoulders pulled her down from her unsteady stance, and in moments, she found herself surrounded by the swirling colors of the time portal.

TTTTTTTTTT

For the first few moments after the magic of the well had cleared away and she had been set down gently at its base, Kagome didn't move. She remained laying on the dusty ground of the old well trying to figure out if what she had heard she had actually heard, and if the being who had spoken those words was actually Sesshomaru.

From her perspective, there was just no way that Sesshomaru had just told her that she was beautiful. Such a thing went against everything that she had ever known of the stoic youkai. First of all, the Sesshomaru she knew hated humans with a passion that burned nearly as hot as his loathing for Naraku. Secondly, the Sesshomaru she knew was not one to issue a complement…ever…for any reason. And third…

'Darn it's cold out.'

Her musings were cut short when her body shivered violently. Whenever it was she had ended up, it was definitely not the season to be wearing only a thin blouse and a short skirt. Kagome quickly stashed away her thoughts of Sesshomaru for later, sat up, and removed her large pack from her back. It just wouldn't do for her to catch cold on this journey. She was supposed to be this 'brave and powerful Warrior Priestess' after all.

She smiled to herself as she shifted through her supplies in her hunt for a sweater and some long pants. The things Toga had said about her were so sweet, and she found herself wondering what it would be like if Inuyasha had picked up a few more of his old man's endearing qualities. But halfway through pulling on her heavy sweater, she realized that, surprisingly enough, the Sesshomaru that she had encountered in her time was very much like Toga. She shook her head at that thought. It just wasn't productive to continue asking herself what had happened to change him so drastically. And if she continued thinking that the Sesshomaru she was going to encounter was going to be anything like the Sesshomaru she had just left behind, she would be in for a big disappointment, not to mention the fact that she would find herself without a head.

'At least he was decent enough to warn me about that one,' she though dismally as she tugged her jeans into place.

When she was finished and dressed appropriately for the weather, Kagome secured her pack on her shoulders again, made sure Tenseiga was safely in place through one of the straps, and set about making her way out of the well.

Once on the ground above, Kagome could see the light sprinkling of snow that covered the ground and the bare branches of the trees. The late afternoon sun brought it rays down from the clear blue sky, its light reflecting back off the snow to create a world of glistening white. It was beautiful and magical…and incredibly annoying.

'Why is it that whenever I get sent on a mission I can't be sent somewhere tropical?' Kagome asked herself in aggravation. 'I hear Hawaii is nice this time of year, or Barbados, or Tahiti, or Australia, or…'

Her inner ramblings were cut off when she felt a warm pulsing from her back.

"Oh, all right," she sighed as she reached behind her to draw Tenseiga. "So," she asked it once it was securely in her hand, "Where to now?"

Tenseiga pulsed again then pulled her slightly in a direction to her right. Sesshomaru had told her (one of the few things that he had actually told her that would be of any use) that Tenseiga would always lead her towards itself. So, after checking the direction she was supposed to follow to somewhat get her bearings, she set off into the trees of Inuyasha's forest.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Are we there yet?" Kagome whined to the sentient blade in her grasp.

She had been walking for hours! Her feet were sore from the unyielding ground, her hand was sore from having to hold onto a sword for such a long period of time, her face was sore from all the branches that had scratched her skin as she had climbed and fumbled through hundreds of tangled limbs of untamed forests, and she was desperately in need of a bath. Even though it was cold out, all of her walking had caused her to sweat heavily beneath her woolen sweater, but she couldn't take it off because she knew that her damp skin and the chill weather combined would leave her as one hypothermic miko.

And to top it all off it was beginning to get dark. The sun was slipping quickly towards the horizon, and the sky was beginning to change from clear blue to a radiant mix of blazing red, soft pink, and shades of purple that would put any royal garb to shame. However, though the sunset was magnificent, the shadows were beginning to deepen all around her. And though the young miko was not afraid of the dark, she was afraid of the creatures that came out to hunt once the bright rays of the sun had taken their leave and night settled down upon the world. Spending so long fighting demons and monsters had given Kagome justifiable cause to be weary of dark corners and shifting shadows.

But just as she was about to give into her desire to abandon her current path in favor of a nice, protective fire, a change of clothes, and a warm sleeping bag; Tenseiga's pulsing became stronger and more insistent.

"Stupid sword," she cursed, but still gave into the blade's persistence for her to follow.

After a few more moments of being led through a hopeless tangle of old and gnarled trees, Kagome found herself stepping into a clearing. In the centre stood an ancient nettle tree whose bark was coarse and withered with age, and whose branches seemed to stretch to the sky, shadowing out the sun for anything attempting to grow under its canopy.

Tenseiga pulsed again, even more strongly this time, urging the young miko forward towards the tree. As she approached, she began to understand why she had been brought to this place. Hanging from one of the branches of the great tree was the Fang of Heaven. Tenseiga, as it had been left by Totosai to be received by Sesshomaru after the death of Inu no Taisho, still hung from the branch of Bokusen'on.

"Grandfather Nettle," Kagome addressed the tree as she approached.

"Hmmm?" The deep, roughened voice of the tree sounded out lazily to her as it stirred from its slumber, and from out of the withered bark a face began to form. Bokusen'on's eyes opened and took in the sight of the girl before him before speaking. "What is you want young woman? I am a very busy youkai."

'Busy?' Kagome questioned in her mind. 'Busy doing what? Sleeping?'

Still, she wasn't about to ask that sort of question out loud, so she settled on something more productive.

"How long has it been since Inu no Taisho's death?" she asked.

Bokusen'on lifted a knotted eyebrow at the girl before answering. "Only one day has passed, child. But I must ask how it is you know of the death of the Great General?"

"Well that…" Kagome laughed nervously, "That isn't really important. But when Sesshomaru comes here to collect his sword, you tell him that I'm looking for him alright?"

"Sesshomaru…" the old tree pondered for a moment why it was that Sesshomaru would be coming to visit him. Though Bokusen'on had the utmost respect for the Great Dog General, the son was another matter completely. "Why would Sesshomaru be coming here?" he asked aloud to himself.

Kagome's jaw dropped open in disbelief. Was it possible the old tree was senile?

"Ummm…Grandfather Nettle?"

"Hmmm? Yes child?"

"Tenseiga, Sesshomaru's inheritance…"

"Yes?"

"Well it's…ummmm…it's hanging from your nose."

"Oh?" The old tree looked down cross-eyed to see the fang hanging from his nose. "Ah yes, I remember now. Totosai left that here."

Fighting down the incredible urge to smack her forehead, Kagome tried again to get the old tree to convey her message.

"Please," she asked, "Please just tell Sesshomaru that I will be nearby."

"Hmmm? Oh, yes, child. I will tell him."

'Fat chance,' Kagome thought in annoyance. It seemed that she would have to be much closer by than she had hoped.

Still, the smell of a nearby hot-spring on the air was too much for her to ignore. 'It will only be for a quick soak and then I'll be back,' she promised herself. So, she bid farewell to Bokusen'on and started out towards the spring.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Aaaaahhhhhhhh"

Slipping into the steaming waters of the hot-spring, feeling the therapeutic salts of the heated waters massaging away her aches and pains, and finally managing to get that repulsive layer of sweat off of her body, Kagome was in complete bliss. She sunk down deeply into the waters and allowed them to wash away her problems, but as she settled back against one of the natural shelves in the spring, she began to realize just how large it seemed when there was no one bathing with her.

An anxious lump began to form in her throat as Kagome took in more of her surroundings. Night had fallen, and the only light that broke through the darkness was the faint glow of the moon and stars overhead. She began to feel just how alone she was in this strange time and place, and she could feel her lonely tears building up within her. But she quickly blinked them away. She had come to this place for a reason, for a purpose; she couldn't be held back by her own fears.

But still, her anxiety about being left so exposed in the hot-spring would not ebb away. However, it was then that she recalled what Sesshomaru had told her, that the enchantments of the necklace Toga had given her would protect her from harm. Curious as to how the pendant she wore would work, and anxious to test its abilities, Kagome focused her miko powers to connect with the magics of the enchanted necklace.

A warming surge swept through her when the magics were released, and soon she found that a strong barrier had been formed around the entire spring. It was a shimmering dance of golden light, and for a moment, she marveled at the beauty of it.

"So cool!" She squealed in excitement when she realized that this power was hers to command.

But as she took in the beauty of the barrier around her, it began to change. Where there had been breathtaking hues of glittering gold, the color began to shift and radiate deep tones of navy blue.

"Eh?" she questioned dumbly. "What's going on?"

That question though, was answered quickly when her senses picked up on a strong demonic aura closing in on her position.

'Ahhhh,' realization dawned on the young miko, 'So Sesshomaru has decided to come to me, has he? Well, at least he's saving me some walking.'

Of course, then she realized that she was naked in the hot-spring, and that she wouldn't have the time to put on her clothes before Sesshomaru got there. Kagome groaned with frustration as she sunk lower into the springs and realized that there would be another person she would have to add to her list of 'People who have seen me Bathing'. But she knew, as with all the other lists of things she was keeping track of, there was nothing that she could do about it.

So she waited for him to appear…and waited…and waited…and waited…

'Oh this is ridiculous!' She screamed out in her mind. 'I know he's there, and I know that he's watching me, so what's the hold-up?'

Angry about the position he was leaving her in (she would have felt so much better if she would have been allowed to meet up with one of her most intimidating opponents by her self if she at least had some clothes on!) and frustrated that he wasn't willing to show himself so that she could politely ask him to leave (not like she thought he would actually listen, but hey, it was worth a shot), Kagome's hesitations about speaking with this younger, human-hating, Sesshomaru were thrown out the window.

"Sesshomaru," she called out in the direction she could feel his aura, "You are aware that it is unbecoming of nobility to watch young girls while they are bathing are you not?"

'That's right,' she smirked inwardly to herself, 'Insult his honor and sit back to watch the sparks fly.'

This time, it would be she that was not disappointed. Sesshomaru stepped out of the trees at the far end of the spring. The burning gold of his narrowed eyes locked on the young miko, and even if she didn't know how angry her statement would have made him, she could see it as the deep blue hues of the barrier surrounding the spring darkened even more.

'It reacts to nearby threats,' she realized. 'If someone intends me harm, it changes color to let me know.'

"Human," Sesshomaru's cold voice pulled Kagome away from her revelations about her new power. "How is it that you know of this Sesshomaru?"

'Speaking in the third person? Geeze, this guy really is full of himself.' Still, despite the thought that were running through her head, Kagome cleared her throat and gave him her response.

"The question, Sesshomaru, isn't if I know you, but if you know me."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly at her statement. 'Is it possible?' he asked himself. 'Could this pathetic mortal girl really be…?' But as he allowed himself a brief look over the parts of her visible above the churning waters of the spring, he caught sight of the pendant around her neck rising with each of her steady breaths. 'When the sun and the moon rise together…' he remembered his father's words, and found himself wondering if perhaps his father had been mistaken.

In his mind, he could not see in the young mortal girl before him any of the qualities the Warrior Priestess from the tales of his youth was said to have possessed. The girl was simple and plain, not a breathtaking beauty. And though he would have to, grudgingly, give her some merit for not cowering in fear before him; she was quite obviously no warrior. And as for the power she was supposed to have possessed, he could easily tell that the barrier keeping him back from the girl was no one formed on her own. The girl had help from an outside source. Unfortunately, he realized that that outside force was his own father.

"Woman," he ordered, "Clothe yourself at once. This Sesshomaru has no desire to look upon the unseemly form of a pathetic mortal."

"Ooohhh, you insufferable Jerk!" She fumed at him. "I would GLADLY put some clothes on if you weren't standing there looking at me!"

"Foolish girl," he scoffed. "Your modesty is wasted if you believe any asset you possess would be coveted by myself."

"Well I don't care!" It was one thing for him not to wish to look at her, but it was something entirely different for him to tell her that. So, Kagome allowed her anger to get the better of her, and she stubbornly refused to abide by his demand. "I'm not moving from this spring until you find the decency to at least turn away! So why don't you dig deep, deep, within that icy hide of yours and find that little piece of compassion that is in there somewhere. Then, and only then, can we attempt this discussion of ours again."

Kagome leaned back in a huff and crossed her arms over her chest. By this time, the barrier surrounding her was nearly black as it reacted to the intense animosity being sent towards her by the youkai just on the other side, but she didn't care. Of course, she should have cared, and she should have taken notice that the barrier was beginning to shrink due to her strong emotions. But she was so caught up in her anger and her incredible embarrassment that she couldn't.

Sesshomaru, on the other hand, was quick to realize this fact. However, though he knew he could likely anger the wench enough for her barrier to collapse around her, he really didn't have any desire to touch a naked human female. That, and, reluctant as he was to admit it, the girl had been correct in her statement that it wasn't very noble of him to be watching her bathe weather or not he had any desire to see such a thing…which he didn't.

"I will return shortly," he informed her before disappearing in a blur. He hadn't waited for her response, nor did he care to. If the wench wasn't dressed properly by the time her returned, that would be her problem, not his.

Kagome gaped at the spot he had vanished from for a moment. Getting rid of him had been a lot easier than she had expected. Of course, she didn't know that Sesshomaru was planning on beheading her the second he managed to break her barrier down, but she probably could have guessed something close to the truth. However, Kagome didn't use the time Sesshomaru had left her with to debate what he had done or what he was planning to do, because there was something much more important on her agenda: putting some clothes on.

She had only managed to finish putting on a new pair of jeans and a clean sweater, and was in the process of brushing her hair when he returned. Again, he was forced to stop on the other side of the spring due to her barrier, but, Kagome, being the trusting soul that she is, decided that having a conversation would be easier if she could actually see the person she was speaking with clearly. She cast Sesshomaru an appraising look, debated for a moment how long he would let her live if she dropped the barrier, decided that the answer to that question was less than the time it would take her to blink, then settled on coaxing the amulet adorning her neck to pull in the barrier around her to only a few feet.

Sesshomaru fought against the urge to smirk in satisfaction when he felt her barrier begin to recede. 'Foolish human,' he though to himself as he moved to close the distance between them, 'Your trusting nature shall be your downfall.'

But Kagome was far from being able to trust him; she simply wanted to be able to talk to him without having to strain to see him. However, Kagome was no fool, and she knew that a simple gesture of faith was not something that would deter Sesshomaru from his wish to see something dead. She needed a new plan, and she needed one soon. But as she reached down to gather up her supplies, she found the answer she was looking for.

"Is your sense of smell hindered by this barrier?" she asked him.

"No." Curt, short, and to the point; everything that she had come to expect of Sesshomaru.

Kagome smiled as she drew out the fang from where it had been secured in the straps of her pack. 'Let's see if curiosity is enough to get the dog to pause in his attack.' She held Tenseiga out before her, and was pleased to see Sesshomaru lift an eyebrow in what she could only guess was confusion or surprise when he realized that she possessed one of his father's fangs.

"This is Tenseiga," she told him, "The same fang that you are carrying now, only older by about…200 years."

Now, if he wasn't able to sense that there was no deceit in her voice or to smell that the fang in her possession truly was the same fang secured at his hip, Sesshomaru would have been tempted to express how utterly foolish the girl was for suggesting such a thing; but since he was able to sense these things, he was left at a distinct disadvantage that he greatly resented. This girl had come from the future, and with her she had brought a blade that was rightfully his. She carried knowledge that was certain to prove useful to him, and that, unfortunately, meant that he would be forced to keep her alive until he could acquire what knowledge she possessed.

Kagome smiled brightly when the deep blue hues of the barrier surrounding her began to lighten in color and the barest hints of shimmering gold could be seen again. He had taken her bait. She had secured herself life…for the next few hours at least. And now would be able to speak with him without having to worry about becoming well acquainted with her innards.

Still, it was getting late and Kagome was most certain that spending the night out in the wilds with only Sesshomaru…who she wasn't certain if she should label as 'company' or to lump in with one of the many predators that stalked their prey at night…would definitely be a bad idea. So she picked up her things and started walking towards a small village that she had seen from a distance as Tenseiga had led her to this place.

"Will you walk with me?" she asked, even though she was pretty sure he would have followed anyways.

He didn't say anything, which wasn't a big surprise to her, but he did begin walking with her.

"So…" she started hesitantly, "I'm guessing that you want to know why I'm here, how I got here, and how I came to possess Tenseiga. Am I leaving anything out?"

"Your amulet."

"Ah, yes. How could I have forgotten? Well, since that's the easiest thing to answer, I'll start with that. Your father gave me this amulet to protect me from…well…you, after he told me that I was to help you find another weapon he had crafted."

"Tetsusaiga?" Things were starting to look promising to Sesshomaru. If the girl truly did know the location of Tetsusaiga, perhaps his decision to let her live for the time being was well justified.

"Nope," Kagome replied with a trace of glee. She really had known he would have guessed that (the guy was slightly obsessed and highly predictable when it came to that sword), but she couldn't resist teasing him a little. "Tetsusaiga is beyond your reach for the moment. 'Seeing but never seen; protected yet never known to its protector.' You won't be seeing Tetsusaiga for another 200 years or so."

"Woman," Sesshomaru cut out coldly, "Cease these games and tell me plainly what you speak of."

"Well…" How was she supposed to tell him when she didn't even know herself? But after deciding there was no real way around it, she tried anyways. "I'm not really sure what it is, but Tenseiga knew that you had been searching for another item, and it told Toga, who in turn told me."

Sesshomaru stopped in his tracks. "You impertinent wench," He growled out in his cold and condescending manner. "You dare to address my great and terrible father with such familiarity? Such and act should cost you your life."

"Really?" Kagome truly hadn't known. "I'm sorry, but that was the name he gave me when we met." She shrugged. "If it bothers you, I will try to remember to call him by his title."

Sesshomaru blinked. Was the woman really trying to placate him? HIM?! She showed no fear of him and no respect for his station, she spoke out of turn and rose her voice to her superior, and now she was being placating as though he were some suckling pup that needed to be coddled! The woman would learn her place, he promised himself, and it would be he that would have the great pleasure of teaching her that her place was groveling at his feet.

Sesshomaru came out of his inner thoughts and looked up when he sensed that the woman had come to a sudden stop at the top of the rise ahead. Momentarily he wondered if this human would actually be intelligent enough to avoid the village below because of the youkai currently spilling the blood of its inhabitants, but he would be terribly irritated when he discovered that the miko had other plans.

"We have to go down there," she stated anxiously as she looked back to him.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, wondering if this girl really had expected him to comply with her foolish wishes.

"No." He stated plainly.

Though he would have no problems with the rampaging youkai, he still needed the girl alive if she was going to give him any answers to his questions. And she, he knew, was in no position to be confronting a blood-crazed youkai on the prowl. Her barrier may offer her some protection from him, but against an opponent who had no desire other than her flowing blood, she would stand no chance (not to say that seeing her bleed wasn't one of the things he wished to obtain from the girl, but for the moment he had other priorities).

Half-tempted to yell at him for his icy nature, Kagome sighed heavily when she realized that yelling at him would do nothing for her or for the village below that was systematically being destroyed by the dark presence she had felt. So she tried a different approach.

"Sesshomaru, how can you simply ignore it? Your senses are so keen, how is it that you can hear their cries of pain and of anguish, smell their tears of loss and of suffering; and do nothing?"

"They are human," he responded with distain. "I have no use for such creatures."

"Yes they are human," Kagome agreed, "But even though they are human, those tears they cry can not be ignored. Do you know why Sesshomaru?"

When he didn't answer, Kagome sighed again and looked away from him back down to the dying village.

"They can not be ignored, because those tears are the tears of the innocent."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Awwww…sniffle…how cute. This shall be one of the few chapters that doesn't end with Kagome's tears, but I really like it ;') AND since the last line still fits in with what I have written so far, Kudos foe me )

Later

Shadow

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Too bad, because I could think of some great way to entertain myself if I did have some of the cast of Inuyasha at my disposal. Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on writing fanfiction.


	7. Tears of the Grateful

Tears of the Grateful

Tears of the Grateful

"I'm going."

Kagome voice was soft, but sure. She knew her chances against the dark aura destroying the village were poor, and she knew that she had never before faced such a creature alone without the support of her friends; but she also knew that she could not stand idly by and allow such a travesty. She released her heavy pack from her shoulders and set it down by her feet, keeping only her bow and quiver so that she could remain light on her feet. But as she relinquished it from her possession, Tenseiga pulsed in warning, telling her not to leave it behind.

Her smile was tight and forced. "Sesshomaru won't leave without me," she soothed the blade. "He knows that without me he will never find the last piece of his father's legacy." She stood, setting her stance firm and proud, and looked back to Sesshomaru one last time. "I may not be what you expected of her, but I can only be as I am. My name is Kagome, and I am the priestess your father asked to show you the way to what you seek. But even though I have every intention of completing the task asked of me by a friend, I will never be untrue to my heart."

And that was how she left him. With those words still hanging in the air, Kagome turned away from Sesshomaru and began her decent towards the village.

As Sesshomaru stood on the rise watching the young miko steadily making her way straight into peril without pause or thought of the consequences of her actions, driven only by the calling in her heart that would never allow one to suffer unduly; he began to see why it was he had been warned against this girl. 'Beware the strengths that you can not see…' She was human, she was weak; and yet she would walk into battle proudly, knowing her cause was just, and allowing that faith to prevail over hesitations of her abilities.

But it was foolishness for her to be led so blindly. To engage in battle one must be prepared. To walk the path of the warrior, one must accept the inevitability of their own death. But this girl, she refused to accept death as it was, she would let her heart lead her into a fight that was not hers without thought. She was no warrior. No warrior could be led by such weakness. No warrior could prevail without strategy and without the ability to distance themselves from the trivialities of life's trials.

And yet…still she walked foreword into battle. Still she would fight.

"Foolish human." Sesshomaru dismissed any further thoughts of the girl as he reached down to collect the fang she had left behind.

Tenseiga pulsed angrily, its strong vibrations burning against Sesshomaru's hand as he held the sword.

"Silence," he ordered sternly.

But the Tenseiga in his grasp was not the fang by his side; at least it hadn't been for a very long time. The blade would not be silenced, nor would it be ordered by this one who had yet to learn of its strengths or of its purpose. Though it had chosen Sesshomaru to be its master, though his hands were the hands meant to wield its power; this Sesshomaru had yet to become deserving of such greatness, and Tenseiga would not be manipulated by him.

Tenseiga pulled him forcefully in the direction that the young miko had left in, but though its will was strong, Sesshomaru was stronger. He held the fang firmly, growling his displeasure at the troublesome blade. Still, this was not enough to deter Tenseiga, and it reached back into its memories and drew forth the words of its creator to ring out in the mind of the son.

"_Have you someone to protect?"_

Sesshomaru's lip lifted in resentment for the sword's use of his father's final words to him. It was foolishness, he reminded himself. He, Sesshomaru, had no need of such futile pursuits. He walked the path of supreme conquest, and it was power that would lead the way for him. But as he slipped the fang into a secure position at his hip to rest by its counterpart and turned to leave, it was power which gave him pause.

TTTTTTTTTT

Kagome made her way to the village carefully. Using the shadows of the night, she kept herself concealed. Ahead of her, she could see the simple huts and structures of the village alight with blazing fires. The flames licked skyward in their heated dance, consuming everything in their path, and making flight for the terrified villagers impossible. The people of the village had been forced from their homes by the fires, and now they were trapped, herded like cattle to the slaughter.

From the outer rim of the small village, Kagome could see the women and children clustered together in the main square. The children clung fearfully to their mothers, some crying in fright, and others so distraught that they couldn't even find the strength to do that. The women, though trying to stay calm for the sake of their children, still shed tears for the men fighting and dying in the path of the creatures; and in their eyes was the dark knowledge that the fight would be in vain.

Kagome fought against the urge to go to them. Though it had always been her place to console and keep safe those she and her friends had protected along their journey, this time it was she that would have to play to role of rescuer. She took in an much as she could of the enemy, preparing herself for what was to come and what she would be up against.

The creatures the men were fighting were black masses of contractile flesh that moved in a slow and deliberate slinking motion, stretching out their bodies into long lengths before pulling them back again to form the bulging masses. Each of creatures was only the length of a man's arm when compacted; but once stretched out, they could reach the length of a man's body. They used their numbers to overwhelm the men, converging on each of the defenders in groups of five or more.

Kagome was forced to watch as one of the men fell to the onslaught. The creatures covered his body as soon as he hit the ground, revealing for a short moment the hideous circular mouths hidden beneath the muscular bodies, which latched on to the man's flesh with hundreds of spiked teeth flexing out of the tubular jaws.

Leeches: giant, repulsive, disgusting, blood-sucking, Leeches.

Seeing the man brought down in such a way had been too much for the compassionate miko. She lifted her bow with no further thought of strategy, and released an enchanted arrow to skirt over the fallen man. In the path of her arrow, the creatures were consumed by its purity, and they turned from black masses of destruction into glittering ash, pure and undefiled.

Kagome dashed forward from her concealment, reaching the man's side just before a new mass of the creatures could attack. She set another arrow and released it in a flurry, destroying dozens of the black monstrosities as they advanced on her.

"Well don't just stand there!" She screamed at the man closest to her who had paused in his fight against the creatures to gape at the young miko. "Get this man to safety! I'll hold them back."

The man quickly collected himself and did as he was bid; hauling the injured man to his feet and helping him back to the main group. As he left, Kagome called the other men to her.

"Form a wall behind me!" she yelled out her orders. "Protect the women and children from the underlings, and I will deal with the master."

The men wasted no time abiding by her orders. Their salvation had come in the form of this strange young miko, and they would not impugn on such a blessing by the gods. They arranged themselves in a staggered line behind the miko, raising their meager weapons in defensive positions before them. But it was a defense that Kagome prayed would not be necessary.

She secured another arrow and demolished the front line of the advancing creatures, then took the momentary reprieve she was granted to allow her senses to stretch out to find the one controlling the bests. The darkness of his aura gave away the master immediately. Kagome turned to face him, lifting her weapon for her assault.

But she couldn't release her arrow.

"Cease this attack!" She called out to her hidden opponent. "These people have done nothing!"

"I would beg to differ." The slick voice of her opponent reached her ears just as he revealed himself from the shadows. At his feet the bulging bodies of the leeches under his command gathered to him, winding their way up his legs and latching on to him to convey the tributes of their feast.

Like all youkai with the power to create humanoid forms, he possessed an outer-worldly beauty. He was tall and slim, but the flawless tones of his muscle could be seen beneath the layers of cloth he wore. His skin was pale and pulled tightly over the lengthened features of his face, leaving no creases of age or wear, and the dark markings crossing his cheeks and his brow appeared to be waves of deep indigo; shifting waters upon a canvas of white. His eyes though, it was his eyes that revealed to her his true nature. They were as black as the creatures he commanded, and in their depths, Kagome could see the dark fires of evil burning savagely.

"This village has denied payment to its God and has even sought out a vagabond to defend themselves from their own misdoings."

"A vagabond?" she laughed shortly. "Is that what you think of me? You can't even tell a miko when you see one? What a pathetic excuse for a youkai you are. You are no God! No God would massacre a village for not paying homage to one undeserving of such honors!"

"Insolent wench!" He bellowed at her with unveiled fury. "Cower before the God of these lands as you witness the true power of Chinoumi!"

Chinoumi lifted his hands and motioned his minions forward. The leeches responded immediately to the command, and flung themselves against the young miko with a flurry of lashing tails and bulging, dark bodies. The creatures crashed against the barrier surrounding her, and as they touched the darkened surface of it, they were thrown away with jarring force, landing in bloodied heaps several yards from where the young miko stood.

Kagome smirked. "You're going to have to do better than that," she informed Chinoumi as she let loose her arrow directly at him.

The demon hissed his outrage at the girl before he used his command to raise his minions into a defensive wall before him. Kagome's arrow collided with the wall, obliterating all of the dark bodies. But Chinoumi escaped the blast.

"You have seen nothing!" He roared as he lifted his arms again.

From his outstretched arms, a rippling could be seen beneath the surface of his skin. Something just beneath the surface twisted and surged as it wormed its way out of the youkai. Chinoumi smiled wickedly as he drew his hands back and threw the bloodied masses that had wormed their way from out of his skin.

Kagome notched another arrow, but even as she fired and the pure blast destroyed many of the projectiles, many more were still coming. Chinoumi's hands were moving so fast they seemed a blur, and with each throw he sent more of the blood-coved objects at the miko standing against him. They collided with her barrier, but unlike the others, when the magic of her protection surged to rid her of the threat, the tiny, red leeches exploded with force unbelievable for their size.

The force of the explosions began pushing the young miko back. Even though the barrier around her was keeping her from harm, Kagome was beginning to falter against the onslaught. But as she fought against the barrage of the thousands of tiny worms, as her arrows streamed through the air attempting to find a target that was protected by a living wall of explosive minions; she started hearing the cries of the villagers from behind her.

As she looked back to the people she had thought to protect, she found them screaming out in pain as the tiny red bodies that had missed her found their way into the group.

'No!' she screamed out in her mind. 'No, I can't let them be hurt! Not because of me!'

Hastily she drew another arrow. A quick chant flowed from her lips as she infused the wood with a seal of protection, then she thrust the tip of the arrow into the ground at her feet. Instantly, a new barrier was formed, one that would keep the demon and his minions held at bay; but she only had a few moments.

Kagome ran back to the line of men, seeing as she drew nearer that many of them were burned and bleeding from the attacks. But knowing that even so these men would stand to fight against an opponent they truly had no hope of defeating, solidified the plan that was forming in the young miko's mind. She reached up to her neck and took hold of her pendant, pulling its protective warmth away from her body; but sealing within it enough of the miko powers running through her veins to keep it active.

She thrust the pendant at one of the men. "Take this and withdraw your men to the safety of the group. Stay together and do not leave the circle."

"My Lady?" The man was hesitant to do as she asked. Though he had seen the woman standing against the demon, he knew that facing such a creature alone might mean the death of the powerful lady that had come to their aid.

But Kagome's mind had been made up. "Please, please just do as I say. I can not face that creature if I am fearful for the welfare of these people. Take the men back."

The man, not willing to disagree in fear of angering the gods who had sent them such a gift, did as he was bid. The men pulled back towards the centre of the square, huddling down with their distraught wives and crying children. Kagome smiled weakly when she saw that they were safe. The enchantment of the necklace still held and still did her bidding: the villagers were safe.

Kagome turned then, facing her opponent once more. Her make-shift barrier was beginning to give way, and she knew she needed a new plan and fast. Ah, but spending so long fighting demons and other creatures of darkness had given Kagome quite the list of memories to fall back on, and so she walked forward with a new plan set into place.

She notched another arrow and released, clearing a path through the dark bodies of the creatures scattered out on the ground, and stepped out from behind the collapsing wall of her sacred barrier. As soon as Chinoumi saw that the miko had removed herself from her barrier, he was quick to launch another wave of attack, but Kagome was ready. She gripped her bow firmly in her hands, waiting for the right moment. When the red bodies of the exploding slugs came within range, she reacted swiftly by spinning her bow between her hands in a whipping circle. The red monsters were thrown back, their bodies exploding in the air all around her; but some had been hit with enough force to be sent back from where they had came.

Chinoumi howled in pain when the explosions of his own creatures ripped through his body. He staggered back against the impacts, his hands falling from a position to attack so that he could grip his torn flesh. His blood was dripping to the ground at his feet, sending the dark minions there into a frenzy. The creatures cried out in a terrifying shriek, the shuddering vibrations of their outrage traveling through the ground and reaching the creatures nearest to the miko. The black things responded with fury, lashing out their lengthened bodies in an attempt to bring the girl down.

Kagome swung the bow in her hands frantically as she maneuvered around the whipping tails and the gaping maws of pointed teeth, but without the time to set her arrows to clear the path again; she was left at a terrible disadvantage. She was surrounded and she was alone.

As it was bound to happen sooner or later, one of the creatures found its way past her defense. Kagome cried out as she felt herself being dragged down and the sharp teeth of the leech digging into the flesh of her thigh.

"My Lady!"

No sooner had the creature latched onto her, it was being ripped away with pitch forks and field sickles. All around the young miko, the men from village had formed a wall to fight off the leeches in her defense.

"My Lady," the young man to whom she had given her amulet kneeled by her side and helped her to her feet.

"Why…?"

"We could not let you fight those creatures alone," the man responded with a warm smile filled with gratitude for what she had done for his people.

"Yes," Kagome replied as she smiled brightly, "Then let's finish this."

She stood with the men, raising her weapon again against the demon. Chinoumi had withdrawn behind even more of his dark minions, but with the injuries he had withstained, he could no longer pull the red fire from his veins. He locked his dark eyes onto the woman who had ruined his plans and laid waste to so many of his minions, and released a bone-chilling screech that shook the ground with its resonating pulse and conveyed his order to attack to the dark bodies on the ground before him.

The black masses surged towards the defenders, but the men fought them off valiantly, leaving the miko free to take down the scourge. Kagome pulled back her bowstring, focusing all the power she could into this last shot, drawing upon those dormant energies in her soul and feeling them surge around her. When her arrow was loosed, its light radiated so brightly that for a moment the nights shadows were chased away from the land. The arrow sped towards its target, sealing the fate of Chinoumi and dispatching him to the underworld.

As the demon was vanquished, and what remained of his body fell in glittering ash towards the ground; his minions faded from existence, their bodies melting and becoming one again with the earth.

Cries of triumph and victory sounded out from across the village, and Kagome smiled wearily as she took them in. But the battle had left her worn and injured, and she sunk to her knees, panting heavily to regain her lost breath.

"My Lady, are you alright?" the young man was at her side again, and she smiled at him warmly as she responded.

"I'm just tired, is all."

"Then let me help you to a bed. There may not be much left of the village after that attack, but anything we have left we owe to you and we will gladly share it."

Kagome was about to tell him how much the gesture would be appreciated, but a shrill cry from one of the women behind her startled her into looking back. She inhaled sharply, her breath catching in her throat when she saw him.

Sesshomaru was coming towards her, and in his hand he held the amulet he had taken from the villagers.

"Get back," Kagome told the man at her side. "Get back!" she yelled when he tried to protest.

She lifted her bow with shaky hands and set an arrow to point directly at Sesshomaru.

"I may not be able to kill you," she told him, "But I bet this would still hurt like hell!"

Sesshomaru stopped his approach and regarded the woman coolly for a moment before speaking. "Lower you weapon, or it shall be these villagers that pay the price of your impudence."

"No! My Lady!"

"Stay back!" Kagome shouted again at the man, stopping him before he could cut in front of her. She turned back to Sesshomaru when she saw that the man had stopped as she asked. "Will you give me your word you will not harm these people?"

Sesshomaru smirked. "I have no use for humans. Lower your weapon and I will not bother myself with them."

"Alright," Kagome relented to his demand. She released the tension against the arrow in the set of the bow, and threw both to ground.

"My Lady?"

Kagome looked back at the man, and sought to ease his fears one last time. "It's alright," she told him. "You can go back to the others now. Rebuild and live long and happy lives." She smiled as she reached out to take his hand. "It's alright, I know him."

The man was confused for a moment, and he thought to protest; but when Kagome squeezed his hand gently and smiled at him again, he realized that this remarkable woman was saving them all again.

"The gods smiled down upon us all on this day," he told her before he left. "For as long as there is life in this village; all shall know of the great deeds of the Warrior Priestess."

Kagome's smile did not fade as she bid farewell to the man. She had done what her heart told her she must, and she would never regret it. She slowly looked back to Sesshomaru, and found him looking over her curiously.

"You are injured."

"I noticed."

"You could have prevented such damage if you had not given away your only source of protection."

"I know."

"This amulet will serve you no more."

Sesshomaru's hand closed about the amulet, glowing with energy and poison.

"NO!" Kagome screamed. "Please don't!"

Sesshomaru lifted a sculpted brow, and Kagome responded to his unspoken question.

"It's…it's all I have to remember him by. Please, I…I just want to remember what he did for me."

Sesshomaru looked down at the girl in shock. Though, of course, it was not shown in his stoic expression. He couldn't believe that it was not the power of the amulet the girl sought, but rather some sentimental value she had given to it. The trinket reminded her of his father, and even as she sat on the ground bleeding from her battle against the demon, her eyes filled with tears not of pain but of fear for the loss of one already dead.

She mourned for him, he realized. This priestess gave her tears freely even for a youkai.

It was in that moment, as he took in the sight of her sapphire eyes glistening with her unshed tears, that Sesshomaru saw the first glimpse of the woman his father had told him about. He had seen her power explode from her core, but he had dismissed it as it was not enough to withstand him; he had seen her compassion as she gave away her only defense to the people of the village, but he had written it off as foolishness; but when he looked into those eyes so filled with pain for a loss that she could never have prevented, he found something that he could not ignore and could not dismiss.

"This amulet belonged to my father. It is only right that I keep it in my possession."

Kagome's smile was one of pure gratitude. "Thank you," she whispered as she inclined her head to him.

But as she lowered her eyes, the tears that had been held back so long began to fall.

Tears of the grateful.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Chinoumi: Meaning 'Sea of Blood'…at least, that's what I hope it means. If not, I'm sure everyone will forgive this Shadow for not speaking a word of Japanese, but being dedicated enough to use online dictionaries to give her bad-guys Japanese names.

Action! Hurrah! I thought I would be good at writing battle scenes, and this fic is providing me with the perfect outlet to give it a shot. I plan on writing several more solitary battles and one (or possibly two) Grand battles of all-out war. I really like these scenes, and my influence comes from reading scores of Terry Brooks novels. The man is a genius with battle scenes, so if you like battle set in the world of myth and legend (actually very similar to the middle earth of lord of the rings) I would highly recommend checking out the 'Shannara' series.

The question of the day: How many arrows does Kagome really have?

The answer: As many as I want her to have! This is like one of those action movies where the guns never run out of ammo ;P I will make a point at some time to restock her quiver, but until then, just believe that she has an unlimited supply, ok?

Oh, and if I hear shit about how Kagome is being too brave and too much of a fighter or that she isn't strong enough to take on this demon without crying to one of her friends for protection; I have two words for you, the first beginning with F and the second being Off, which would then be followed by Kiss My last word beginning with A. This is an action story people, and I'll be damned if I will write Kagome to be a pathetic and weak heroine.

And lastly, but definitely not leastly. Special thanks to Chaoswingdragon for helping me over my dilemma with the ending for this battle.

Ta Ta

Shadow

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Too bad, because I could think of some great way to entertain myself if I did have some of the cast of Inuyasha at my disposal. Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on writing fanfiction.


	8. Tears of the Anxious

Tears of the Frightened

Tears of the Anxious

"OWW!...Son of a…"

Kagome grit her teeth as she secured another needle-like, barbed tooth in her tweezers and yanked it out of her thigh. She hissed in pain when the barbs ripped their way though her skin on the way out, then clamped an alcohol-soaked cloth over the tear to catch the blood and disinfect the wound. She had been working at this task for nearly an hour, pulling out hundreds of sharp teeth that the leech which had latched onto her leg had been gracious enough to leave behind as it was torn away from her by the village men.

"And WHAT," she snapped as she looked up from her injury to Sesshomaru, "Are YOU looking at?"

Sesshomaru's hand twitched where it rested on his knee. 'Just a flick of the wrist…' But rather than abiding by his more bestial desires, he settled for narrowing his eyes at her.

How dare she yell at him when it was her that was creating a scene with her moaning and complaining? One would think that her leg was going to fall off with the way the miko was carrying on. But then, he wasn't about to tell her that. He got the feeling that if this woman was to know that he was enjoying her suffering; that she would end up forcing him to kill her sooner than he planned to.

Kagome scowled at the lacking answer from Sesshomaru. "You know what," she told him, "Never mind. I bet I could guess. You're probably thinking 'Oh look at that pathetic mortal with all her patheticness. If only that wound had been enough to kill her, then I wouldn't be listening to her complaining.'"

'Less than a second and that mouth of hers would no longer be causing my ears to ring with her shrill voice…'

"Well you know what?" Kagome continued her rant completely oblivious to the dangerous thoughts she was leading Sesshomaru to. "If you had been decent enough to lend a hand, none of this would have happened!"

'Just a flick of the wrist; she wouldn't even see it coming…'

"So why don't you just fly off and kiss my apple, because it's bad enough that I have to suffer the pains of this wound, I don't need your scrutiny to accompany it!"

'Apple? That's it.'

Sesshomaru stood quickly from where he had been seated languidly against the base of a tree, sending a cold shiver thorough Kagome that forced her to pull back from him. But being that she was seated at the edge of the hot-spring she had soaked in earlier and she was surrounded by the supplies she had pulled from her pack to treat her wound, there wasn't very far for her to go. She swallowed down the hard lump forming in her throat and tried to soothe some tension away from what she had just said.

"I'm sorry." Sesshomaru took a slow, deliberate step towards her. "I'm just not used to fighting by myself. I always have my friends by my side." She gulped as she watched him take another step towards her. "I didn't mean to take my anger out on you. It's not your fault I wasn't strong enough to help those people without getting hurt."

Kagome sighed and hung her head. That last statement stung a lot more than she was intending. She wanted to find pride in what she had done, but the painful truth was that she had allowed herself to get injured and now she would be holding Sesshomaru back from finding what she had been sent here to help him find.

'Some Warrior Priestess,' she chastised herself, 'can't even stomach having these stupid spines digging into her skin.'

She glared heatedly at the injury on her leg, then reached her tweezers into the last of the punctures and ripped out the final tooth. She bit her lip to keep her voice still, but forced her eyes to stay open to watch her blood spill out and remember…remember that next time….

A sudden shift in energy caused the young miko to look up in shock. Her eyes darted to where Sesshomaru last stood, but in his place there was nothing but for grasses blowing in the chilled breeze. She looked for him with both her eyes and her miko senses, but there was no sign of him. He had simply vanished.

"Sesshomaru?" she questioned weakly into the night. "Sesshomaru!" she called out, but the only response returned to her was the echoing of her own voice. "Damn it!"

TTTTTTTTTT

By the time Sesshomaru returned, Kagome had finished dressing her wound, replaced her ruined jeans with a nice, soft pair of flannels, started a small fire and set up her sleeping bag to stretch out beside its warmth. Kagome had long since abandoned her anger and set aside thoughts of battle past, and she had taken to searching the sky for some answers to her questions hidden within the light blinking of the stars. Surprisingly enough, she had found some.

She didn't look away from the stars when she spoke to him. "How long did it take for Tenseiga to start annoying you?"

"No meager fang could influence this Sesshomaru."

Kagome laughed lightly at the display of arrogance from the youkai before responding. "Yeah, but you gotta admit, that fang sure knows how to pester its wielder. I mean, I've only had it for two days now; and so far it has stabbed me, led me to follow someone who I thought was you but turned out to be your father only to get attacked by two oni and nearly gutted, then it brings me to you without even so much letting me stop for a rest, and then lets you take off and leave me after yet another battle."

"Woman," Sesshomaru's voice made Kagome turn to look at him. He was being much more talkative than he had been, and she realized that the time had come for some answers to come out. "You say that you were with my father less than two days ago, and yet, my father would have been engaged in battle with Ryuukotsusei at that time."

"You might want to sit down for this one," Kagome told him as she pulled herself into the most comfortable sitting position she could. She hissed when the movement caused her bandages to pull painfully against her wound, but she ignored it as best she could and tucked the end of her sleeping bag under her leg to keep it elevated.

Sesshomaru eyed the girl critically for a moment, but then reached into his sash and pulled out a white bottle. "Your pain has served its purpose. Perhaps next time you will consider the consequences of being unprepared for a battle." He flipped the bottle at her, and Kagome caught it clumsily as she tried to figure out just what Sesshomaru was trying to say. But Sesshomaru took no further mind of her and proceeded to seat himself on the opposite side of the small fire.

Kagome looked down at the bottle in her hands curiously after realizing that she probably would never be able to understand what Sesshomaru did or why, and her eyes widened in surprise when she realized what she held.

"Sake? You brought me booze?"

"Sake dulls the senses," he informed her curtly.

"Uh, yeah, right; the pain thing." Though she really was tempted to down a few swallows of the drink to stop that confounded throbbing in her thigh, Kagome was a little hesitant. She forced a thin smile as she looked up to Sesshomaru suspiciously. "You wouldn't be trying to get me drunk so that I spill all the knowledge I possess, now would you?"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at the insinuation. Though he had thought that perhaps the drink would make the woman more cooperative, he had no need of such aids if he truly wanted information. "Woman…"

But she cut in before he could finish. "I was going to tell you anyways…well…I'll tell you what I can that is. Some things will have to remain as they are, and I think you will see that once I start the story."

Still, she figured things probably would go better if her leg would stop its blasted throbbing, so she undid the seal on the bottle. She was about to take a swig, but stopped herself. "You didn't want any did you?" When he didn't even so much as lift an eyebrow, she just shrugged. "Right, you don't eat human food. Well then, I suppose you won't mind if I just do this." She lifted the bottle to her lips and took down a few good swallows, letting the warming feeling of it travel down her throat into her belly.

"Ahhhhh…I knew I was missing something in my med-kit." She looked up to Sesshomaru and giggled when she saw him looking at her with something akin to disgust for what she had just done. "Oh please," she waved him off with her hand. "It's not like you've never done it before. How old are you now, like 700?"

"Woman," he cut in coldly. "How is it that you know so much of this Sesshomaru if we have never met?"

"But we have met," she told him as she smiled brightly, "Just not yet. I come from 200 years in your future…No, wait…that's not right either, now is it? Hmm, how about I start again? I come from a time about 700 years in the future from now. About two years ago, I was pulled down a well on my family's property and ended up 500 years in the past. There was a…problem…that made it necessary for me to continue returning to that time. I began a journey that took me great distances and led me into many battles; but traveling in a group with my new friends made for some really good times amidst the difficult ones."

Kagome paused for a moment as she thought about how she could describe their first encounter. It was becoming very difficult to believe that it had still happened. The Sesshomaru she was speaking to her now, though not terribly impressed with her, didn't seem to really want to kill her; and she couldn't quite figure out why he would have if he had already gone on this quest with her before she had first met him. The only thing she could come up with was that for some reason they depart from this journey on shaky grounds, but she couldn't see what that reason could be. She sighed and shook her head to clear away such unproductive thoughts before continuing her tale.

"It was on this journey that I met you. We became…allies…of sorts. We share a common enemy, and were brought together by his wicked manipulations. Anyways, during one of our battles you…gave…me Tenseiga to…help me…I guess. But when Tenseiga's power combined with the time portal I used to go home, I ended up being sent even further back in time. I met your father when he was no older than you are now, at a time before he had even had Tenseiga or Tetsusaiga commissioned; and it was then that Tenseiga told him of the third weapon and he informed me that I was to be the one to help you find it."

Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow at her elusive answers. The girl was a horribly bad liar. Still, she had given him most of the story, leaving out only those parts that would be of any use! He was about to tell her to elaborate, but she beat him to the demand by explaining why she couldn't.

"I can't tell you any names or dates or specifics to my journey, because in doing so I might interfere with the timeline. Events that have already happened for me have yet to happen for you, so if I were to tell you what those events are, you could change their outcomes. And if that happened, then I might not end up sitting here talking with you…again…or…next time…or last time…or…well, you get it right?"

Kagome nervously took another swig from her bottle. She felt like she was under interrogation, and that feeling wasn't helped at all by the fact that the one doing the interrogating was completely capable of gutting her with a flick of his wrist.

For Sesshomaru though, he wasn't even thinking about harming her…this time anyways. He realized that she was being as forthcoming as she thought she could be, and though he wasn't entirely certain why she was being so elusive regarding certain matters, he more or less could understand why. So, rather than pushing her to elaborate on her previous statements, he left those questions for later when she may not so defensive or prepared from them, he questioned her in a different matter.

"Where are we to find this third weapon?"

Kagome smirked as she revealed the next part of her story. "I asked you the exact same thing when you came to me in my time and told me you had already completed this mission with me over 500 years in the past. Do you know what you said? You said, 'It is the journey that is important, Kagome, not the destination.'" Her smirk turned into a smile when she saw his eyes widen at her statement. "Yeah," she giggled, "I was in shock too when you called me by my name. I guess 500 years really can change a person, ne?"

"Woman," Sesshomaru's voice had gotten even colder. It was bad enough that he had been shocked when she revealed that he would show such respect for such a creature as she, but to be called on it was utterly annoying. "If you do not know where to find this weapon, what purpose does it serve me to keep you alive?"

"Well…about that," she laughed nervously as she took another drink to sooth her nerves. She had the feeling that she had just narrowly escaped death far more than was healthy for a person in one night, and she also had the feeling that she wasn't done yet. "I have an idea of where we can start looking…but there's a slight problem…" Kagome grimaced slightly as she thought about what she was about to ask. She knew it was probably a bad idea, but she really didn't have any other options. "Where we need to go, I won't be able to walk on the ground. The easiest way around it would be if you…if you gave me back the amulet."

"Explain." Though Sesshomaru was fairly certain she would not be able to convince him to give her back the amulet, the fact that she had asked even knowing this had raised his curiosity for her motives.

Kagome fidgeted with the bottle in her hands for a moment as she sorted through her thoughts. Sadly, that process was taking a bit longer than it should of because that bottle in her hands was getting rather empty. Still, it was just wrong to waste such good sake, and since Sesshomaru wasn't about to join her, she settled on washing back the rest of her confusion with the last draw from the small bottle.

"Your father's friends, or perhaps retainers would be the better word; whatever, they would be the most likely to have knowledge about the third item. Saya is…unavailable…with a mission of his own, Myoga is too small and unpredictable to be easily found, but I think that we could locate Totosai pretty easily. He's too old and senile to want to be running around the countryside, so I'd bet that he's at his mountain as we speak…you know, the mountain that can not be entered by humans?"

"Foolish girl," Sesshomaru dismissed her and her idea. "You think that I would give you back the amulet simply for you to talk to the old youkai when I could just as easily get the information from him myself?"

Kagome pulled a move out of Sesshomaru's books when she cocked an eyebrow at his statement. "Yeah," she replied sarcastically as she stretched herself out on her sleeping bag and rested her head on her hands, "Good luck with that one. Totosai is scared shitless of you. He'd just run away like he did the last time."

"The last time?"

"Yeah when you…" She smirked and looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "Nice try, but I'm not telling. That sake may have dulled my pain, but it hasn't made me stupid just yet."

'Pity that,' Sesshomaru thought distantly before asking another question of the girl. "What makes you believe Totosai will answer to you?"

Kagome shrugged as she responded. "The old youkai is rather fond of me, I guess. And I have a lot of practice with dealing with fanatical old men." She giggled happily as her thoughts drifted. "Totosai has nothing on my grandpa though. At least Totosai tells you straight out when he doesn't know anything, but not my grandpa. He likes to pretend he knows everything, and to him, everything has something to do with demons and magic. Once, when I was little, he told me that I got sick because I had forgotten to sweep the shrine stairs and the dust demons that lived there were punishing me. It took my mom three weeks to get me to set foot on those stairs again after that."

Kagome stopped herself when she realized that she was divulging way off topic, and turned her head to get a better look at Sesshomaru. He was seated comfortably across from her…well as comfortably as one can be while sitting in the lotus position…and his arms were resting lightly across his knees. Her gaze lingered slightly on his left arm before she tore her eyes away and looked up to his face.

Seeing him across from her on the other side of the small fire, his golden yes reflecting back the light of the flames, and his silver hair shimmering faintly red as it too caught the light; reminded Kagome of Toga when she had been speaking with him like this. But thinking of him now, only days after his death had occurred, caused a heavy sadness to grip her.

"I wish," she sighed out her regrets, "I wish I could tell you some things; just like I wish I could have warned your father about Ryuukotsusei or about Takemaru of Setsuna." She sighed again. "But it's…difficult. I don't know what I can say, or what I can do." She closed her eyes tightly to fight back her threatening tears and turned her head away from him again.

For a time neither spoke and soon Kagome found herself tiring. She pulled her sleeping bag around her and settled into it for the night. "Maybe," she whispered quietly as her exhaustion began to steal her away from behind her closed eyes, "Maybe when I wake up, I'll realize this was all a dream…Maybe I won't have made a new friend only to loose him…Maybe you won't have pretended to be my doctor…Maybe…" Her voice trailed off, and if Sesshomaru wasn't able to hear things as acutely as he could, he would never have heard the soft whisper that left the miko's lips just before sleep claimed her. "Maybe you really don't think I'm beautiful…"

Now, if Kagome hadn't been half-drunk and half-asleep, she never would have said such a thing. Still, if she knew what kind of reaction it would have gotten from Sesshomaru, she just might have had to put some thought into it.

Sesshomaru stiffened so completely that he was forced to hastily untwine his legs from where they had been folded under him in the standard meditative position or risk ruining years of practiced grace by unceremoniously falling over. His hands shot out to his sides to keep him balanced upright, but in his haste, he knocked a burning log from the fire, and ended up setting his left hand down on it. He growled his displeasure as he lifted his hand away from the heat, and clenched it into a fist several times to increase the circulation to the area, allowing his blood to heal what damage had been done.

When the redness had been removed from his skin, he turned his attention back to the sleeping miko.

What was it with this woman? How could she know so much of him and yet still be surprised as to his actions? How could she be so provocative in one moment, purposely raising his ire; and then pull back in fear of him as though she had completely forgotten who it was she was speaking to? How was it that she could know so much of his father's life and his death, if it had not been he that had told her? But why would he have told her such intimate, and irrelevant, details of his father's life and death? More so, if he had been the one to tell her these things, why was she being so elusive as to the specifics of their relationship, or find it surprising that if such a relationship existed that he would call her by her rightful name?

There was something he was missing, something important that the miko was purposefully hiding from him. But with her being so reluctant to tell him why, he knew that the only way to get the information out of her would involve coaxing it out with painful reminders of how weak her human flesh was, but that plan was quickly ruled out when he realized that if his father had truly sent this girl to him and had even gone so far as to protect her with an enchanted necklace, that his old man wouldn't have stopped there to ensure that he kept the miko out of trouble.

A soft growl of aggravation began rumbling through Sesshomaru's chest as he tried to sort through the things he had learned. It was becoming painfully obvious to him that he was going to need this miko if he was going to find the final weapon forged by his father. But it was disconcerting that he had never seen or heard of another weapon commissioned. Still, knowing his father, there was a good reason why he didn't know anything of this final weapon; but not knowing what one is up against can be very dangerous.

He didn't like it. He didn't like being kept in the dark. He didn't like that the miko knew him, or the thought that he would actually need allies to face an enemy. He didn't like the secrecy surrounding the weapon. And he especially didn't like that his father had such little faith in his abilities that he thought some human wench would be necessary to aid him.

Still, as he allowed his sight to settle on the sleeping miko once more and watched her shift in her sleep to cuddle a portion of her sleeping bag tightly to her chest, he realized that things could have been worse.

'At least she's not a cat,' he thought to himself in amusement. 'Though I wouldn't put it past her to try and scratch someone's eyes out for interrupting her sleep.'

And with that thought, he left the miko and any further thoughts of her until morning.

TTTTTTTTTT

Kagome hummed happily to herself as she prepared her breakfast over the small fire. She had had an amazing sleep, and to make it even better, Sesshomaru had actually allowed her to sleep in until a decent hour. And no day-break wakeup from a rude, obnoxious hanyou; made for one happy miko.

She had already changed her bandages, and was pleased to see that most of the puncture wounds from the leech's teeth had mostly closed over and what remained of the injury was mainly a large, discolored bruise from where the pinching of the creature's jaws had damaged her skin to resemble the worst hickey in history. Still, most of the pain was gone, and she held high hopes that she wouldn't be too hindered in walking.

The kettle she had placed over the fire began to boil, and she reached into her pack to pull out her breakfast ramen. But as she found the small container of her own breakfast, her hand brushed against a strange package. She curiously pulled the package out of her bag, and upon seeing its contents, couldn't help the mischievous smile that pulled onto her lips. She carefully opened the package enough for her to pull out one of the items inside, and once it was in her hand she whipped it at Sesshomaru who was sitting close by.

Sesshomaru snatched the object out of the air before it hit him without even looking, but the unusual texture of the item made him open his hand and look at it.

"I thought you might be hungry," Kagome said as seriously as she could given the circumstance. "And don't worry, that isn't human food."

One lifted eyebrow and a courtesy glare of contempt at the little miko later, Sesshomaru found his curiosity getting the better of him. Guardedly, he inhaled the scent of the 'food' the girl had offered him, and he was completely thrown when his body reacted so strongly to the scent that he actually started drooling. He quickly licked away the signs of such a disgrace, and set the young miko with a look that promised retribution.

"Woman," he ground out, "Where did you get this?"

"Ummm…from my home?" she answered weakly as she struggled to maintain her composure under such a glare.

"Your home?" Sesshomaru questioned as he stood and began walking towards her. "Your home in the future?"

"Yes…" Kagome was starting to get really nervous. If he didn't want it all he had to do was throw it away!

"Then tell me miko," Sesshomaru said as he reached down with one hand and roughly pulled Kagome to her feet, "How is it that I know this scent?"

"I…I don't know!" Kagome squeaked as she fought against his hold.

But her struggling was only serving to anger Sesshomaru more. He grabbed her other arm and clenched his hands tightly, his claws piercing through her sweater and grazing against her flesh as she tried to fight away from him.

"Tell me!" He ordered sternly as he shook the girl for emphasis.

"I don't know!" Kagome cried again. "Please, I don't know anything. I haven't met you at a time before now. I swear it!"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes and growled disapprovingly at the girl. He knew the scent of the food she had offered him; he knew it so well that he reacted physically to it. There was only one way such a reaction could be imprinted on an Inuyoukai, and he was loathe to discover that this time-traveling miko would ever be allowed to see him in such a position. But he could not argue against what his senses told him, and, unfortunately, that meant he had to find out for certain.

Kagome stiffened and her eyes nearly bulged out of her head in fright when she saw Sesshomaru lift his lip in a snarl directed solely at her. She tried again to pull away from him, but it was useless and all she was doing with her struggles was ruining her sweater.

"Please, Sesshomaru…"

"Silence," he ordered her.

His voice was deep and terrifying, and Kagome whimpered in fright as his grip tightened to relieve her of any movement. The last thing she saw before she closed her eyes to the terror was the sharp glint of Sesshomaru's deadly fangs as he brought her closer to himself.

She sobbed brokenly, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop whatever it was he had planned, and trailing hot paths down her cheeks, she could feel her tears.

Tears of the anxious.

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Science Corner: Did you know that dogs can be trained to drool on command? In an experiment to determine how learning can occur, a scientist named Pavlov discovered that a dog's natural response to a food stimuli (drooling) could be conditioned by stimuli other than simply the food being placed in the mouth. He found that the drooling reaction could be trigged by the mere scent of the food or even by a completely unrelated sound if that sound was always present with or before the food was presented (so for those of you who use a can-opener to open your dog's food, you can bet that they are drooling as soon as they hear the sound). This research led to the learning theory known as Classical Conditioning, and it is still widely used as a basis for many animal and even human theories of learning.

Well, that's all for tonight.

Later

Shadow

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Too bad, because I could think of some great way to entertain myself if I did have some of the cast of Inuyasha at my disposal. Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on writing fanfiction.


	9. Tears of the Lonesome

Tears of the Lonesome

Tears of the Lonesome

Sharp, strong;

Fear and sorrow; suffering of the heart.

Soft, sweet;

Gentle hands to ease away doubts.

Warm, deep;

Joy and laughter; games of youth.

Electricity, power.

A lesson learned and guarded well.

Copper, salt;

A tale of battle; a journey of fate.

TTTTTTTTTT

Lavender in her hair, jasmine upon her skin, a storm of thundering power running through her veins, raw and untouched, wild and free, and so pure its warming grace burned through to his core. Her fear, her anxiety, and her hesitation; so capable of turning her strengths against him but held back by something he couldn't fathom: compassion, commitment, desire, resolve, trust and faith.

It was exhilarating, intoxicating; and as he had expected, it was imprinted upon his memory in the most basic and primal ways of his kind.

With a soft growl of aggravation, Sesshomaru released Kagome, allowing her to fall to the ground in a heap.

Kagome remained there for a moment in a daze, then, slowly, she lifted her hand to rub against the moisture on her neck. "Did you just…" she pulled her hand away from her neck and examined it curiously. Her face scrunched up in confusion as she looked upon it, but eventually she managed to finish the question she had started. "Did you just lick me?"

Sesshomaru's lips tightened into a thin line as he tried to suppress the scowl threatening to form. "A necessity, I assure you," he responded in a clipped tone full of repulsion. "Scent imprinting has served me no purpose for many hundreds of years."

"Alright," Kagome slowly pulled herself to her feet to face the obviously disturbed youkai. "But that still doesn't explain what the point of licking me was."

A soft growl started in Sesshomaru's chest when her scent assaulted him because of her movement. It was so much stronger now that he had reaffirmed the imprint, and it was driving him mad. The scent of a mortal was supposed to be something no better than rancid meat or swamp gas to him, but now that the imprint was fresh and connected so strongly to a time where he felt such contentment and pleasure; there was no avoiding the soothing lull of her sweet purity and gentle essence.

He mentally shook himself to stop such foolishness. It was the imprint that was making him think such things, an imprint formed so long ago that there had been hardly any conscious thought to the action. He had merely been acting on instinct, instinct that had unfortunately led him to recognize the miko before him as…he nearly shuddered at the thought. It was just so repulsive. Damn that miko for putting him in this position! She hadn't lied when she said that she hadn't met him before, but it was painfully clear to him now that he had encountered her a long, long time ago.

Eventually, he found a way to respond to her question that didn't involve degrading himself any more than he already had. "Tracking scents are superficial. They involve no close contact and are constantly changing. However, it is possible to identify an individual explicitly and permanently by combining different aspects of their being: scent, taste, and aura."

Though Sesshomaru's explanation gave Kagome some insight into dog senses, she was still at a loss as to why he had done what he did in the first place. 'All this because of some silly doggy treat,' she thought to herself in frustration, but that thought reminded her of Sesshomaru's reaction to the treat. He had recognized it even though such treats would not be invented for many hundreds of years, and that recognition had led him to the 'imprinting' thing. Then she remembered what he had said about imprinting not being of use to him anymore.

A sly smile crept to her lips and her eyes sparkled with devious glee. "You do know me, don't you?" she asked suspiciously as she bent down to collect the treat that had been abandoned on the ground by Sesshomaru when he had taken hold of her. "And you know the scent of this food because you have eaten it before, haven't you?"

"That is hardly food," Sesshomaru responded while trying to look completely uninterested in the soft, chewy, salty, scrumptious, little piece of heaven the girl was holding in her hand.

Unfortunately for him though, that wondrous little treat in Kagome's hand had once again triggered his drool reflex with its decedent scent, and Kagome was quick to pick up on the slight movement of his jaw caused by his attempt to clear away the evidence.

"HA!" Kagome exclaimed in triumph. "I knew it!" But then she was struck with a realization that had her face brighten in such ecstatic glee that Sesshomaru was sorely tempted to either back away from her or behead her before she could say another word…and he seriously was contemplating the later when she squealed in excitement and started jumping up and down and clapping her hands as though she had just been proclaimed the winner of life's lottery.

"Woman." No self-respecting youkai, no matter how conditioned or trained to indifference, could listen to such nonsense for any prolonged period of time. "Cease this ridiculous display immediately."

Kagome paused mid-jump, but her excitement was still not diminished. "Do you know what this means?" She asked in a bubbly voice.

"I am sure that I do not care," Sesshomaru replied before he turned away from the bouncing girl. "Pack your things immediately. We are leaving."

Sesshomaru made his way across the small camp purposefully. He was intent to leave their horrid discussion and any and all implications of it behind him. But, unfortunately for him, the miko had other ideas. His step nearly faltered when he heard the girl's jubilant voice from behind him.

"I bet you'd be so cute as a puppy!"

This time, Sesshomaru did scowl. The blasted girl was going to be the death of him…that is, if he didn't kill her first. Yes, now that sounded like a very good idea. His thoughts darkened, and he allowed himself a wicked smirk as he thought of the many different tortures he would inflict on the miko as soon as she had given what aid he needed to find the last piece of his father's legacy.

Now all he had to do was refrain from killing her until that time came; a task, he was certain, that would test all of his restraint and even more of his patience.

TTTTTTTTTT

"I…can't…go…any…further."

Kagome panted heavily as she leaned against a large tree in a last-ditch effort to catch her breath. Sesshomaru was like a slave-driver when it came to setting the pace for their journey. They had been walking steadily for nearly six hours, and Kagome couldn't move another step. Her leg was throbbing painfully, and she was certain that the bandages wrapped around the wound on her thigh were soaked in new blood. Her shoulders were sore from having her heavy pack resting on them for so long. And her whole body was complaining, telling her that if she took another step that it was going to give out and leave her unconscious until it was good and ready to let her walk again.

"Woman," Sesshomaru hardly even glanced back at her when he spoke. "I have no time for your pathetic human inadequacies. Cease your complaining and continue walking."

"Why you…" Kagome fumed. "You're worse than…" she trailed off just before she let Inuyasha's name slip out.

But Sesshomaru did not miss the way the girl shifted nervously. "Worse than who?" He asked as he turned to face her, allowing his senses to focus more clearly.

"That is so not the issue here!" Kagome snapped instead of giving into Sesshomaru's interrogation. "I have been walking for hours without complaint, but I refuse to go another step without at least a little bit of time to rest and to eat something!"

Sesshomaru scoffed slightly at the woman's idea of 'not complaining'. From his perspective, she had done nothing but complain since they had started out. If it wasn't her grunting and groaning over having to carry her large, ugly pack; then it was her continual grumbling about her injury or muttered cursing at the completely obvious roots or shrubs which had somehow 'jumped' out at her without even moving.

The girl was a walking catastrophe, and he was finding his resolve to not kill her slipping more quickly with every passing second. Once again he cursed his father for having such an affinity for humans. If she had only been a youkai, not only would she not be complaining and carrying on as she was but they would have reached their destination by now. Of course, there was always the option of carrying her, but that was not only completely beneath him but it would likely result in either his ears bleeding from all of her certain loud protests or with her missing a vital appendage, her head being on the top of the list.

The whole situation was utterly ridiculous, and Sesshomaru was about to order the woman once again to continue, but before he could, she interrupted him with a shrill scream of complete an utter terror. He turned to see what it was that had gotten the girl so bothered, but when he did so, he found that there really was something the troublesome girl could do to infuriate him even more than she already had.

Kagome had latched herself onto Sesshomaru with a death-grip. Her whole body was trembling with fear, but that didn't hinder her strong grip as her arms wound around his waist.

"Kill it! Kill it! KILL IT!!" She screamed in terror without lifting her face from where she had buried it in the soft fur draped over his shoulder.

Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow in question. He hadn't sensed anything that could present any threat to the girl. Still, being that this woman showed such little fear of him and had confronted Chinoumi with hardly a batted eyelash; Sesshomaru was rather curious what had been capable of putting such fear into the girl. He allowed his sight to travel to where she had been resting against the tree, allowing his second eyebrow to lift in bewildered shock when he realized what he was looking at.

Common, ordinary, no bigger than a rosebud and no more harmful: a small spider was climbing up a hanging line towards its web.

Sesshomaru looked down at the trembling girl clutching to his body. "Woman, detach yourself from this Sesshomaru at once."

Kagome shook her head without moving from her position. "Not until it's dead." She mumbled weakly into his fur.

She honestly couldn't help it. Kagome was terrified of spiders. Actually, she wasn't all that fond of bugs in general. They were just so creepy and crawly and able to get into just about anywhere and just…eww! She knew how ridiculous it was, she knew that she had seen many youkai that should have put that little creeper to shame, some bug-like creatures too; but it wasn't all in appearance for Kagome. It was all about the itsy bitsy spider and the way it could fall right down that waterspout and still be able to creep all the way back out of it. That story had one moral and one alone: that you can't kill a spider even by dropping it from a distance millions of times it size, because that nasty little creature would crawl its way right back up to get you.

A slight movement from Sesshomaru and a hissing crack echoing upon the air, finally made Kagome look up at him. "Is…is it…dead?"

"Yes," he bit out as he looked down at her, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Now remove yourself from my person at once."

Kagome gasped slightly as realization finally dawned on her as to what Sesshomaru was probably thinking of doing to her at that exact moment. She snatched her arms back and began backing away from him nervously.

She was very smart to be concerned because at that exact moment, Sesshomaru was contemplating how much he would truly be bothered if he never found his father's final weapon. Right then, he was pretty sure that it might just be worth never finding the weapon to be able to slice the infuriating creature in front of him into pieces so small that they would never be found.

Luckily for Kagome, Sesshomaru wouldn't decide against her just this yet; because a strong demonic aura approaching fast on the wind had them both turning to face it.

A dark shape came into view just over the horizon, steadily coming closer to them. As it neared, the outline of great, dark wings could be seen against the clear blue of the sky. It approached them directly, dropping ever lower as it neared. Kagome reached back over her shoulder to draw her bow, and set an arrow to point at the approaching youkai. But the closer it got, the more Kagome began to recognize what kind of youkai it was.

The dark wings stretching out from his back were those of a bat. And as he drew closer, Kagome could see the stark-white of his hair, the lilac hues of his eyes, and the soft but striking features of his face. She realized suddenly that she knew who this youkai was, that she had seen him once before. But at that time, it had only been as a ghostly figure of the living youkai she was looking upon now.

Tsukuyomaru of the Hyakki Bats, the father of Shiori the little hanyou girl that Inuyasha had obtained Tetsusaiga's barrier breaking red tint from.

Tsukuyomaru flew low as he came near to them, but he did not land. Instead he circled slowly around them just above their heads.

"So, Sesshomaru," Tsukuyomaru called down from above. "Does your little human actually think she can shoot me with her silly little arrow?"

Kagome scowled at the youkai as she tightened the string of her bow. She had honestly had quite enough of pompous, arrogant youkai; the last thing she needed was two of them.

Sesshomaru didn't even look up at Tsukuyomaru when he spoke. "The miko is hardly mine, Tsukuyomaru. She belonged to my father."

"Hey!" Kagome cried in indignation as she turned to Sesshomaru, Tsukuyomaru completely forgotten. "You listen here buster! I don't belong to anyone!"

"Feisty one, isn't she?" Tsukuyomaru commented as he set himself down behind Kagome, folding his great wings neatly behind his back. "I always did like them lively." He smirked and winked at Sesshomaru. "Makes the blood taste better."

"The…the what?" Kagome stuttered as she turned to face Tsukuyomaru. "You…you wouldn't drink…hu…human blood…would you?"

"I am a bat," Tsukuyomaru replied as he lifted his lips in a sly smile that revealed his large fangs. "Shouldn't a miko know these things?"

"But…but you're supposed to be the nice one in the family…It was your father that…I thought you liked humans."

Tsukuyomaru tilted his head inquisitively at the girl's strange stutterings then looked to Sesshomaru. "Is she not right in the head or are all humans this stupid?"

"I would say a little of both," Sesshomaru answered as he too eyed Kagome.

"HEY!" She shouted in outrage. It just wasn't fair that they were ganging up on her like they were. "Alright, you demons; listen up. You want a miko? Well how about some predictions from this miko? You, Tsukuyomaru, are going to discover very soon that there is a human you would gladly give your life to protect. And you, Sesshomaru, will find out that there is nothing so endearing as the gentle smile of a human child. So why don't you two take your comments about humans and shove them where the sun don't shine, because this miko is starting to get the urge to purify things!"

Kagome huffed loudly, placed her hands stubbornly on her hips, then spun on her heel and began walking away from the two discriminatory jerks.

Tsukuyomaru looked after the departing girl curiously for a moment before he turned to Sesshomaru. "Why is it I get the feeling that girl knows more about what she says than it would seem?"

"It is a very long story," Sesshomaru responded. But since he was not willing to share any of it, he got right to business. He pulled the amulet out from where he had been keeping it and held it out for Tsukuyomaru. "I need you to adjust the enchantment on this necklace so that the barrier will not affect me."

Tsukuyomaru took the amulet and began inspecting it critically. After a moment, he found the trick to the spell, but before he tweaked the barrier on the object he just had to ask. "When I was told that you were looking for me for assistance with a barrier, I had assumed that it was a stationary one. But if it was this necklace, why did you not simply give it to the messenger you sent to me?"

"Though it is hardly any of your business, Tsukuyomaru, that amulet belonged to my father. It is not something which I would entrust to a lowly messenger."

"Really?" Tsukuyomaru asked slowly as he looked back down to the beautiful pendant in his hands. "And here I thought that it was because you had left it behind to protect that girl while you left her to convey the message."

"Tsukuyomaru." Sesshomaru's voice had just enough ice in it to tell the bat that he was really in no mood for such insinuations…even if there might have been some semblance of truth in them.

"All right, all right; I will change the enchantment." Tsukuyomaru sighed. But even as he began tapping into the protection seals on the piece, a small smile started working its way onto his lips. Sesshomaru may think to fool others with his icy demeanor, but he couldn't fool him.

TTTTTTTTTT

Kagome marched along; the whole while mumbling disgruntled things about stubborn, stupid demons and their over-inflated egos. Her previous fatigue had been completely forgotten, and she was working off of the energy granted her from her righteous anger. She was so completely pissed off, that when she sensed a low-level youkai coming closer to her, she actually felt a little bit of exhilaration. If whatever it was that was coming towards her wanted a fight, she was going to be more than happy to give it one. And there is nothing that should frighten a youkai more than a sorely pissed off miko.

She stopped in the middle of the large field she had been walking through and waited for the demon to appear.

When the beast eventually lumbered into view, Kagome couldn't help the squeal of excitement that left her. Things were finally starting to go her way.

"Ah-Un!" She called out happily as she started towards the twin-headed dragon.

The dragon stiffened and turned its heads towards the approaching girl. The coarse hairs on its necks bristled and stood on end as it set itself in a stance ready for combat.

"No Ah-Un!" Kagome cried as she lifted her hands before her defensively. "I'm not going to hurt you. I want to be your friend."

When the dragon didn't change its aggressive stance, Kagome looked around her to see if there was anything she could use to entice the dragon to let her near. She smiled brightly when she saw a small winter blossom poking through the light dusting of snow on the ground not far from where she stood. Carefully, without making any quick movements that would startle the beast, Kagome moved over to little flower. She bent down and dusted away some of the snow near to the flower, and was pleased when she found several more. She quickly gathered several of them, then stood and held them out to the youkai.

Ah-Un grunted and sniffed the air. Then the two heads of the dragon turned to look at each other. One made a guttural sound that reminded Kagome something of a mule, and the other just snorted and looked away from its counterpart. But despite having only one of the heads cooperation, the pack-beast started lumbering forwards towards Kagome.

She smiled brightly and lifted the small blossoms up to the first head, which she decided should be Un because of the way he came right to the offered food. As he munched lightly on the flowers though, Kagome startled a bit when she felt the big, wet nose of the other head, Ah, sniffing at her neck. She pulled some of the uneaten flowers from the small bouquet in her hands and stepped back to offer them to Ah. He snorted a bit at her and started to pull away from the blossoms, but when he did, his nose brushed against some of the small flowers. Ah stiffened almost immediately, then reared his head back and released a deep, coughing, sneeze.

Kagome stared shocked for a second, but she started giggling lightly when she heard the other head of the dragon start rumbling a wheezy laugh at its partner. Ah growled angrily at Un, but stopped when he felt the miko's soft hands reach up to pet his nose.

"It's ok, Ah." She said sweetly. "How about I find you some nice grass?"

Ah looked at the little miko curiously for a moment, not entirely understanding what she was saying, but still hearing the sweetness of her voice. But when she kneeled down and plucked some grass from under the cold snow and offered it to him, he grunted happily and nudged her arm in thanks. His nose was very sensitive after all, and not having to root through the snow for his meal made him very grateful to the girl.

For a time, Kagome chatted with the beast, laughing at the antics of the two heads and getting to know their separate personalities. She had found out quickly that Ah was the more affectionate of the two, even if he was the more stubborn and arrogant; and Un was the one that was impulsive and forward, and who would express his opinion loudly with grunts and rumbles that always seemed to Kagome like he was laughing at something.

But as time passed, and Sesshomaru still hadn't shown himself, Kagome realized that she just might be on her own with finding her way to Totosai's mountain.

"Can I ask you something?" she questioned the dragon as she gave each of the heads an affectionate pat. When she had both Ah and Un's attention, she proceeded with her question. "I need to go somewhere," she told them as she pointed at herself and then off into the distance towards Totosai's mountain. "Can you take me there?"

Un turned to Ah and grunted something to him. Ah responded with a nod of his head then leaned towards Kagome and caught a piece of her sweater in his teeth, giving it a slight pull to lead her around to his side. Kagome smiled happily when she realized that the dragon was going to help her, and she moved around the side of the beast and climbed up onto his back, taking secure hold of his course mane once she was seated.

A low rumble was released by the dragon, and Ah turned back to make sure Kagome was secure before he turned his head towards the sky and pushed off from the ground. Kagome squeaked a little when the sudden movement made her body shift precariously, but she tightened her hold on the dragon's mane quickly and adjusted herself for the flight.

With Ah-Un's help, Kagome made it to Totosai's mountain in just over an hour. She directed the dragon to set down at the base of the mountain within the protective shelter of a small grove of pine trees. Once on the ground, Kagome patted the dragon affectionately and thanked him for his help, then she dug through her pack and filled a small bowl with bottled water and set it in front of the dragon. Ah-Un grunted in thanks and began drinking, leaving Kagome free to start a small fire and set up camp.

It was getting late, and she knew that there wasn't anything more she could do tonight. So she settled on unpacking her gear and getting out something to eat for dinner. She ate her food quickly and greedily. She hadn't realized how famished she was, but the second the smell of her cooking dinner hit her nose, her stomach had begun complaining loudly to remind her that she hadn't eaten anything since her hasty breakfast.

So, she ate her fill, silencing her body's protests. Then she set about changing her bandages and her clothes. By the time she had finished, night had already fallen. Ah-Un had taken up a place near to her and her small fire, and was sleeping soundly. Kagome listened to the deep rumblings of the dragon's breaths and it made her smile. She was glad to have someone with her who wasn't colder than an icicle. Ah-Un made her feel welcome and safe, and she was reminded of how she would feel when sitting around such campfires with her friends.

Kagome drew her knees up to her chest and leaned back to look up at the stars. She wondered what her friends were doing right now, if Miroku was trying to feel-up Sango, if Sango was allowing the monk's poor advances or simply bashing his head with her fist or Hiraikotsu, if little Shippo was trying out a new trick on Inuyasha, and if Inuyasha was chasing the little kit around yelling loudly.

She laughed a little when she thought about her friend's antics. She really did miss them. A heavy sigh left her as she brought her head down to rest against her knees, but she pulled back and looked curiously to her wrist when her cheek brushed against something hard and cold. She was slightly surprised to see that the ugly bracelet Hojo had given her was still on her wrist. In all the excitement of the past two days she had completely forgotten she was wearing it. She fingered the little silver bracelet lightly, finding it not nearly as distasteful as when she had first looked at it. Though it was still ugly, the bracelet reminded her of home and of the friends she had left there as well.

She wondered if they were missing her now as she was them.

She sniffled quietly when she realized that there was no way for anyone to know what had happened to her. To her friends in her time, she was likely still in the care of Dr. Sessho Maru; and for her friends in the feudal era, it would seem as though she had just left. Sesshomaru had told her that she would return at the exact moment she had entered the well with Tenseiga, and that meant that she couldn't even take solace in the idea that her friends would be worried for her at all.

She was all alone on this journey. And the knowledge that she had only Sesshomaru as company (if you could call his brand of resentful demoralization company), only served as a painful reminder of how utterly alone she was. She wished she could just have someone to talk to, someone to share her fears and her uncertainties with; someone to tell her that things were really going to be ok. But there was only her and the mission that she had been asked to complete.

She sniffled quietly again as she lay back and wrapped her sleeping bag around her tightly.

'Maybe,' she thought to herself before she closed her eyes, 'Maybe things will be better in the morning.'

But as her eyes closed, the moisture that had gathered there was squeezed out and two lonely tears dripped down, soaking in to her sleeping bag.

Tears of the lonesome.

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A/N: Hi all. Sorry it took so long for this chapter, but I got distracted writing a short ghost story in the Halloween spirit. But now that that's out of me, I can get back to writing this fic.

Until next time.

Shadow

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Too bad because I could think of some great ways to entertain myself if I did have some of the cast of Inuyasha at my disposal. Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on writing fanfiction.


	10. Tears of the Hopeful

Tears of the Hopeful

Tears of the Hopeful

A new day was beginning. The sun crested over the horizon, bringing with it bright rays of warming grace to spill out over the land. The chill from the night still rested upon the world, but with the promise of coming day, life began stirring again, moving out to greet the morn. Songbirds called happily from their perches, their happy twittering floating on the air to ring in the ears of sleeping creatures, telling them to wake and to greet the morn.

But in the small grove at the base of the volcanic mountain, the creature stirring there was not awoken by the happy calls of the birds. Ah-Un woke from his sleep in a startled daze. He could feel the unrest in the air around him, and he knew that there was something approaching that meant harm. The beast stood and took up a guarding stance beside the sleeping miko. Un stood on watchful guard, scanning the trees around him for whatever it was that was coming their way, and Ah reached down to nudge the sleeping girl from her slumber.

"Five more minutes," Kagome grumbled sleepily as she pushed the head of the dragon away and pulled her blankets further over her head.

Ah snorted loudly and tried again to rouse the girl, but he was pulled away from his task when Un began rumbling a low growl of warning. Ah lifted his head to join his counterpart, and together they waited for whatever it was that was coming. The dragon moved its heavy body to stand above the sleeping girl. She had been so kind to them that they could not leave her so unprotected with such a threat approaching. A low rumbling started in the demon's chest as it brought its powers to surface, and from within the turbulent light of dancing thunder began to build.

A tremendous burst of restless winds burst through the trees, bringing with it a wave of fearsome power and energy. The dragon braced against the onslaught, lowering its heads to lessen the impact of such a blast and allowing much of it to pass over its large frame. When the wave of energy had finally passed, the dragon looked up again to confront its opponent.

When they looked up, they saw the mighty youkai. He stood tall and proud, his stance relaxed but poised for ready movement. His fine garments rustled in the currents of energy being released from his body, and his long mane of hair whipped around him in a frightening dace of fury. He locked the burning gold of his eyes onto the dragon, in them conveying the message that certain death was what awaited the beast.

Ah-Un was no fool, and he knew that to face such an opponent was foolishness. But he could not abandon the girl. He would not leave her alone and helpless to face such a being. If anything, the dragon knew loyalty, and he would not break faith with the young woman after she had shown him kindness he had not seen in his long life from any creature. So he readied himself for what was to come, using his body as best he could to hide the girl from the demon they stood against.

But before any move could be made on either side, a loud yawn and a rustling of fabric brought attention to the young miko as she finally woke. Kagome sat up lazily, stretching her hands up above her head and yawning again as though she had no knowledge or care as to what was going on around her. She blinked a few times to clear her eyes of sleep, then, finally, took a look around.

She saw Ah-Un first, and took passing notice of the way he had set his large body above her and the aggressive nature of his stance, then she turned slightly to look at the other demonic presence; not being even slightly surprised when she set her eyes on Sesshomaru.

"Morning," she mumbled groggily as she moved to get out of her sleeping bag.

Ah growled loudly as he bent down to try and keep the young miko beneath him, but Kagome just giggled lightly and patted the dragon's nose.

"Don't worry about him," she told him with a wink. "He's all bark and no bite."

That comment nearly had Sesshomaru growling, but rather than allowing such open disrespect get the better of him, he settled on narrowing his eyes disapprovingly at the troublesome girl. "Woman," he bit out coldly, "What do you think you are doing here?"

"Ummm…" Kagome scratched her head a bit as she took a look around. "Isn't this where we're supposed to be?"

Sesshomaru fought against the urge to roll his eyes at the girl's stupidity before he regained his composure and spoke again. "This is the correct location; however, you are even more foolish than I had assumed if you believed that you would be able to climb the mountain without myself."

"But I didn't," Kagome replied as she made her way over to the deadened fire and began poking at the ashes with a small stick to uncover the still-glowing ambers underneath. "I knew you'd sniff me out sooner or later." She paused for a moment to add a few sticks to the ambers and restart the small fire, then looked up to Sesshomaru curiously. "I didn't think it'd take you so long though." She giggled lightly and stood, giving Ah and Un a pat as she passed them on the way to her bag. "Don't tell me Ah-Un gave you the slip."

"Woman." Sesshomaru's voice was filled with warning.

He had spent hours putting up with Tsukuyomaru and his continual and completely un-based insinuations as to his relationship with the young miko, and when he finally managed to rid himself of the annoying bat he found that the blasted miko had managed to get herself captured by a low-level youkai, which was made even worse when that youkai happened to be capable of flight and of concealing its path by burning away its scent as it passed, then when he finally managed to locate the confounded miko he finds her sleeping peacefully with the beast that she had obviously connived into bringing her here; the LAST thing he needed was for that miko to start throwing out insults at him.

"Oh, all right," Kagome sighed as she started sorting through her supplies to find new clothes and breakfast. "Just keep you pants on."

Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow at the girl's ridiculous statement. His apparel was hardly the issue they were discussing, but since the miko didn't seem to care to elaborate on what she had said, he decided that it was best left that way. He had no desire to know what would make the girl say such a thing anyways. He watched her silently for a moment as she sifted through the supplies of her great pack, but since doing such a thing was only serving to give him an uninhibited view of her swaying backside, he decided his attention would be served better elsewhere. So he settled on glaring at the unfortunate dragon that happened to be the only other thing living that he could focus his anger on.

But Ah-Un was not about to take Sesshomaru's glare lying down…well…actually, he was. He trotted over to the young miko, and lowered himself to the ground by her feet, releasing a low grunt as he did so that gave Sesshomaru the distinct impression he had just been snubbed. Sesshomaru growled softly in his chest, wondering when exactly it was that the whole world had turned against him. The answer to that question though was answered for him with the sound of something being thrown in his direction: it was all that damn miko's fault.

Sesshomaru snatched the object out of the air, his displeased rumblings growing in volume when he discovered that the miko had offered him another of her 'treats'.

"Woman…"

But Kagome cut off his growling warning. "To say I'm sorry for taking off on you like that, even though you did sort of abandon me to do whatever it was that you were doing with the bat." She shrugged and smiled brightly as she gathered her supplies into her arms and stood. "Now, would you kindly point me in the direction of the nearest water?"

Sesshomaru scowled slightly at the miko, but eventually gave into her request and pointed her towards a small stream nearby flowing down from the mountain. Kagome's smile brightened even more, she chirped her thanks to him quickly and then darted off towards her morning bath.

As soon as the girl was out of sight, Sesshomaru allowed himself a long sigh of aggravation. He had never been more right than when he presumed that his time with the miko would be trying. Still…his sight wandered down to the small treat in his hand. He knew that he probably shouldn't…but it had been so long. One little taste couldn't hurt, could it?

He lifted his hand hesitantly, allowing the scent of the treat to play in his sensitive nose. There was simply nothing that could describe how absolutely wonderful that scent was. It brought him back to the times in his youth where he had no cares and no worries, where image and appearance had no meaning, where he could live and play with no thought as to consequences or repercussions; a time where he had been free to be the youkai that he was.

But those times had long since past. The time for fun and games had gone along with the innocence of his youth. The world was not a place for joy or for laughter, it was a place in which only the strong could survive; and it was his strength that would lead him to his destiny. No temptation, no matter how sweet in its lull, could divert him from his path of conquest.

The treat fell from his hand, landing forgotten and abandoned; buried in the dirt as the memories of his youth would stay buried in his mind.

TTTTTTTTTT

Kagome finished strapping her gear to Ah-Un's back, allowing her hand to brush soothingly through the beast's thick mane before she stepped away. Things had been unsettlingly silent since she had returned from her bath, and the tension in the air was becoming so thick she didn't even need her miko powers to know that Sesshomaru's mood spelled danger for everyone in his company. He hadn't moved since she had returned, he remained a statue; staring off into the distance at the mountain's summit, never once acknowledging her presence, not even to order her to get ready. He simply stood there, distant and removed from everything around him, and Kagome feared that anything she had gained from him, any respect or glimmer of friendship, had somehow been lost to her.

"I'm ready," she said quietly, knowing that even a whisper could be heard by his sensitive ears.

Sesshomaru didn't even turn to acknowledge the fact that she spoke. He reached into his robes, pulling the enchanted amulet from where he had been keeping it, and tossed it back to over his shoulder. Then without even a word, he started walking towards the mountain.

Kagome caught the amulet clumsily as she stared after Sesshomaru. Something had happened to him while she was gone, and she couldn't even begin to fathom what could make him retreat into himself so deeply. Where he was normally a block of ice, cold and sharp around the edges; now he was an ice-burg, an island unto himself, monstrous and deadly to any who dared to approach him.

She drew in an unsteady breath, but then steeled her resolve, donned the enchanted necklace, and mounted the twin-headed dragon. She soothed Ah-Un gently when he grunted in warning of her chosen course, and managed to coax the beast forward to begin the ascent up the volcanic mountain.

TTTTTTTTTT

"I seek the fang. Tell me where it is located, old man."

"Sesshomaru! Let him go!"

Kagome jumped off of Ah-Un as soon as the dragon had gotten her close enough. The minute her feet hit the ground of the mountain, the barrier of her amulet surged up around her, wrapping her in a blanket of crimson fires. But the fires of her barrier had no heat; instead they served to drive away the threat of the burning ground on which she walked, soaking up the dangerous heat and scorching fire.

She dashed forward and made to grab at Sesshomaru's arm, which was holding old Totosai around the neck in a vice-like grip. But Sesshomaru moved before she could reach him, pulling Totosai with him.

"Speak, fool." he threatened as he threw the weight of the old youkai against the wall of his cave, never loosening his grip about the pyromancer's throat. "Tell me what I wish to know."

"SESSHOMARU!"

Sesshomaru finally acknowledged the miko when she loosed an arrow to land only inches from his head. "Do not interfere." He growled out at her, the piercing gold of his eyes bleeding in wisps of terrifying crimson in his building anger.

"I'm not going to let you hurt him!" Kagome screamed as she notched another arrow. "Let him go!"

Sesshomaru snarled viciously, pulling his lips back to give the young miko a full view of his deadly fangs. He dropped the old youkai to land in a heap on the ground and turned fully to face her.

"Your disrespect has gone on long enough, miko." He growled out as he advanced on her purposefully. "You will learn your place."

In a blinding flash of speed, Sesshomaru was on her. He passed right through the burning red of her barrier, and had her held tightly in his claws before she could even register the movement. He used his size and his strength to back the young miko against the opposite wall of the cave, stopping only when she could move no further and was forced to look up at him as he towered over her.

Kagome met his hardened gaze unwaveringly. She had been expecting him to react with violence ever since he had removed himself from her that morning. And though she was slightly surprised that he had been able to pass through the barrier surrounding her, she had somewhat expected it after the meeting with Tsukuyomaru that she had suspected was not coincidence and the way that he had so willingly given her back the amulet.

Even being held with his sharp claws resting so dangerously by her delicate throat, Kagome did not falter once. "Sesshomaru," her voice was strong and sure. "Let me talk to him. I've gotten answers from him before and I can do it again. I know more about what we are doing here, and I know more about what things he will hide from you at any cost. He will serve us no purpose if he is dead."

Sesshomaru growled deeply as he let the miko's words sink in. He knew what she said to be truth, and that was why he had thought to bring her with him in the first place. The old youkai was loyal to his father, so loyal in fact, that even after his father's death the old retainer would keep what knowledge was granted him till his dying breath. The girl truly believed that she could coax from him the answers they needed, and it was time for her to start providing some service to him.

"Do not waste time," he bit out coldly as he stepped back from the girl.

Kagome gulped nervously, praying silently that she really could get the answers she needed from Totosai, because she got the distinct impression that Sesshomaru would give her no more grace if she were to fail. She stepped around Sesshomaru slowly and made her way over to the old youkai.

"Totosai," she called his name softly as she knelt down next to him to help him sit up.

"Do I know you, child?" Totosai asked as he let his old eyes focus more clearly on the young woman who had just spared his life from Sesshomaru.

"Not yet, old man," she sighed. "I am a miko. I am the miko Inu no Taisho sent to aid Sesshomaru in finding the third fang you crafted for him."

"Hmmmm…" Totosai drifted into his memories, bringing his hand up to stroke his small twisted beard. "I recall something about a miko…But there were only two fangs."

A low growl from behind her forced Kagome to take more drastic measures; she grabbed Totosai by his shoulders and forced him to look at her. "Totosai, think! Both of our lives are riding on this! Inu no Taisho had you craft three weapons for him: Tenseiga, Tetsusaiga, and one other item. Where do we go to find the third item?"

"You don't look much like a warrior priestess." Totosai commented as he took in the sight of the young woman before him.

"Totosai!"

"Fine, fine," he grumbled in annoyance. "Only one clue exists as to the location of the final weapon. 'He shall be blind, whilst only her eyes will see; on earth, in sky, in time shall I be.'"

"Another riddle? What does it mean?"

"Haven't any idea." The old youkai replied. "The master didn't want just anyone to be able to find his legacy. Only Sesshomaru will know the answer, and only with the Warrior Priestess by his side will he ever find it."

"Miko," Sesshomaru's voice from behind her made Kagome turn to face him. "We leave."

Kagome stared after Sesshomaru's departing figure in dumb shock for a moment, but she soon realized that whatever the old youkai had said had meant something to Sesshomaru. She bid a hasty farewell to Totosai, collected herself from the ground, and hurried to catch up with Sesshomaru.

When she made it out of Totosai's cave, Kagome found Ah-Un waiting for her. Un grunted impatiently and gestured his head towards a white blur on the horizon. Kagome caught on very quickly what the dragon was tying to tell her, and she mounted the best swiftly, urging him into the skies to follow after Sesshomaru.

They flew for hours, so long that Kagome began feeling the painful stiffness of her muscles from riding and the unsettled rumblings of her stomach as it nagged at her to be fed. But she resolutely ignored the pain and discomfort and focused all of her energy on keeping up with Sesshomaru's lead. He hadn't wavered from his course the entire time, and he hadn't allowed the distance between them close in the slightest. He remained to her nothing but a flash of white light against the horizon, and the longer she followed the more and more she could feel the terrible rift that had formed between them.

She wanted so desperately just to be able to talk to him, to find out something of what had caused this sudden withdrawal. But at the same time, she feared what that confrontation would result in. She knew more than anyone what Sesshomaru was capable of, and now with no way to protect herself against him, she didn't know what she could do to that wouldn't anger him to the point where her life would be the only thing to pay for peace.

It was late in the afternoon and the sun had already begun its fast decent towards the horizon when Sesshomaru finally landed.

As Ah-Un drew in for his landing, Kagome took in their surroundings carefully. Directly in front of them stood a massive jutting of jagged stone stretching high into the sky and far off into the distance. The treacherous rocks were wrapped heavily in a blanket of fog so thick the deadly peaks could hardly be seen. Howling winds could be heard tearing across the mountain range but carried upon those winds, mixed in with the deep, whistling howls; high-pitched screeching could be heard ringing out from all directions. This place, these misty mountains, it was a place of terrible danger. Kagome could feel the darkness lurking here and it chilled her to the bone.

But it wasn't simply the treacherous peaks or the howling winds or the blood-chilling screams echoing against the rocks that made this place so dangerous, it was the heavy mist that blanketed everything that gave her the most cause to worry. In the mist Sesshomaru would have no sense of smell, and his hearing would be thrown by the echoing effects of the towering cliffs; in this place he truly would be walking blind. That was the message that the riddle had conveyed, it told Sesshomaru that he must walk into this place where he could not trust his senses; leaving only her for him to rely on to identify the dangers.

Kagome's thought were pulled away from what lay ahead and focused on the problems of her present when Ah-Un touched down gently on the ground not far from where Sesshomaru had landed. She climbed down from the dragon's back and began collecting her supplies, but Sesshomaru's voice made her pause.

"You will camp here tonight."

With that said, he started moving away from her, but Kagome couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Wait, Sesshomaru," she called after him. "We need to talk."

Sesshomaru paused but still did not look back. "There is nothing to speak about, miko. Gather your required rest. We depart first thing in the morning."

And then he left, not waiting to hear anything she would say.

TTTTTTTTTT

Kagome sighed for what must have been the hundredth time. She had gone over the day's events in her mind so many times that everything was beginning to blur together. She had hoped that she could find what it was that she was missing, hoped to discover what she had done to make Sesshomaru remove himself from her so drastically; but she couldn't come up with anything.

She sighed again as she poked at her small fire with a stick. Nothing was making sense to her anymore. How was she supposed to help Sesshomaru if he wouldn't even speak to her? How was she supposed to lead him through the dangers of the mist if he couldn't trust her? How was she supposed to make him understand that she only wanted to help?

She sighed again and threw the stick she had been holding angrily into the flames, watching as small sparks lifted away from the fire to be carried towards the sky. She followed them, seeing them fade from glowing red to merely dust upon the winds, watching as their fire died. For a moment she wondered how something so small could give off such brightness in one moment but have its light stripped away into nothing but memory in the next. Their light…but what if the memory could be rekindled, she wondered? What if the light still lived within the saddened ashes?

What if she could make her light be seen one more time?

Kagome got up quickly from where she had been seated. She gave a quick look to Ah-Un, and once seeing that he was sleeping peacefully, she picked up her bow and quiver and walked away from her small fire and the shelter of trees she had been camping in. She stopped once she had passed the line of trees and was standing upon the rocky ground leading towards the jagged peaks. Out in the open there would be no mistaking her or what she was about to do.

Kagome reached down deeply within herself, ripping apart the barriers holding her powers at bay. Around her the light of her aura exploded in a brilliant wave of blinding light. It shifted around her, moving in gentle waves like ripples across a pond, spreading ever further to cover the world around her in a soothing blanket of pure light, warming to the touch and filled with the deepest of feelings.

In the night, she was a beacon of light, a totem of power, a brilliance, a radiance, that warmed the earth she touched with her gentle hand.

And then it hit her. It was anger and fury, it was hatred and loathing; it was power so dark and so filled with malice that it shook her to her core. She knew it was him, she knew that he had come to her summons; but she had not been prepared to face his wrath.

Her resolve faltered, and her shimmering light faded back into the night.

But with the fading of her powers, she had given him the chance to move in on her, and he lashed out at her for her bold display, striking her hard across the face and sending her tumbling to the ground.

"Wretched human! Your stupidity knows no bounds."

Kagome grit her teeth as she pulled herself from the ground and raised herself to face Sesshomaru. She licked her lips and turned her head to spit out the blood that had collected in her mouth from his gentle treatment of her, the straightened and faced him. She wouldn't back away.

"You can call me whatever you want, Sesshomaru, but that's not going to change what's happening here. You need me if you're going to find that weapon and nothing you do is going to change that. So the sooner you get past whatever it is that has wedged itself up your ass then the sooner we can start working this out!"

"Listen closely, miko, because I will only say this once. This Sesshomaru has no need of you or any other of the disgusting, pathetic creatures you share affinity with. The only reason that I have let you live thus far is because of the knowledge that my father would have in place a safeguard to ensure your passage. But once you have served your purpose, I will rid myself of you and of any further thought of your pathetic attempts to lure me into your company."

"If you don't want my friendship, that's fine with me. But if you think that I don't know what going into those mountains means for you, Sesshomaru, then you are wrong. I know what the mist will do to your senses. I know that if you walk in there you will be blind of anything beyond a few feet of vision. I know that you will need my strengths if you ever hope to walk out of that place alive. So you can throw the friendship I offer you back in my face, but you can not deny that you need me!"

"You give yourself too much credit, miko. No strength you possess will ever be of any use to this Sesshomaru. You squander what meager abilities you have by throwing power recklessly into battles that are not your own, and by drawing in enemies that you can not even see!"

"You think I don't know that?! You think I don't know what risks I was taking to call you here to me? I know that there is something in those mountains, but if it meant that I would finally be able to speak to you, then I was willing to take the risk! You can't keep hiding yourself from me, Sesshomaru! You can't keep blocking yourself away! I can't help you if you won't let me close enough to know that you need help!"

"And what help do you think that someone as worthless as you could give to a being such as myself? What can you do miko? Can your arrows clear a path through that mist? Can you distinguish an aura so clearly that you can hit it without ever seeing? Can you find the way clear of those treacherous peaks through the fog; find the opening where the weapon rests? Can you do anything that would be of any use? What can you do but to slow me down, get in my way, burden me with your pathetic human weaknesses, and keep me from fighting my way clear when I have to go back to pull your worthless self from whatever it is that would think to make you their dinner just so that I can fulfill the requirements of my father's will? Tell me, miko! What is it you think to accomplish here?"

"Do you think that I wanted this, Sesshomaru? Do you think that I asked your father to send me to you? Do you think that I enjoy spending my time with someone that I know hates me and that would give just about anything to see me dead? Do you think that I asked for my life to be nothing but one impossible task after another? I don't know what I'm supposed to do here. I don't know what your father saw in me that made him do this. I don't know how I'm supposed to help you, but I do know that I'm doing everything that I can to see that it is done! Can't you see, Sesshomaru? Can't you see that I'll do anything to make you trust me, to make you believe that I'm not a complete burden? Can't you see that I'm doing everything I know to do just to make you open up enough to let me help you?!"

"It matters not, miko. I do not want your help."

"Fine! Then I'll do it myself!"

Kagome retrieved her bow from her shoulder and walked away from Sesshomaru, entering the churning mists at the base of the mountain.

TTTTTTTTTT

The mist swirled around the young miko in an endless sea of white haze. It was all around her, covering everything, keeping what secrets it would hidden beneath the chilling white blanket. It had only taken moments for the moisture to seep into her clothing, carrying with it the terrible chill settled upon the air. She shivered violently against the cold, but she could not stop walking; if she did her body would succumb to the elements.

All around her, sometimes far off within the cloud and sometimes so close she could feel the vibrations of the rock walls, the shrill screams of the creatures living in the mountains reached her ears. Their cries lifted into the night and echoed across the vast reaches of the mountains, chilling the blood running through her veins. They seemed to be screams of horror, like banshees slinking through the mist, calling out for other lost souls to join them in their torment.

But still she walked. There was nothing for her to go back to. Sesshomaru had given up on her, he had turned away from her offer to help, and now she was alone. She tried to keep herself from feeling the pain of her isolation, she tried to keep her emotions in check so that the barrier around her would keep steady; but the longer she walked, the more the mist drew he into its madness. And as her will began to falter, the barrier around her began to give way.

When the last of the shimmering light of her barrier gave way, Kagome collapsed to ground. She couldn't go any further. Sesshomaru had been right; she was nothing but a weak and pathetic human. She had no strengths to offer him. She had no power that would be of any use. She had thought that he would see what his father had seen when she released her aura into the night, but all he had seen was a foolish human trying to get his attention. And maybe he was right. Maybe it was just foolishness for her to be here. Maybe she was wrong to believe that she could offer him anything. Maybe she had placed her faith in the wrong things.

As she knelt against the broken rocks, what was breaking inside of her tore so much more than those sharp edges did against the skin of her hands.

She realized then that she had failed. She had failed Toga; he had placed his trust in the wrong person. She had failed Sesshomaru; he would never find the last piece of his father's legacy. She had failed her friends; they would never complete the Shikon without her there with them. She would die in this place because she was too weak to do all that had been asked of her. She could no longer think of herself as a miko; a miko would have known how to stand against the madness of the mountain. She could not see herself as a friend, because what kind of friend would give up before they saw the final wish of the one they thought of such completed.

She had failed them all, and there was no one to blame but for herself, but for her own weakness.

"I give up," she whispered softly into the night. "I can't do it any more." Her tears dripped down to the ground below her, but she couldn't see them; she couldn't see anything but for the darkness in her soul. "I don't have what it takes to do this. There's nothing more for me to give. There's nothing…."

She gave in to the sobs that racked through her body. She had no more strength to fight them off. And even when she felt the demonic aura approaching her, she did nothing to stop it.

"You were right," she said to him in a broken voice, never lifting her eyes from the ground. "I can't be the one to fulfill your father's legacy. I'm not strong enough for any of this. I just want to go home. I want to go back to when I didn't know anything about magic and demons. I just want it all to end…"

Sesshomaru looked down at the sobbing girl. The fire in her spirit had died, the conviction she had of her quest, the faith she had in herself and her abilities; all of it had been ripped away from her. He had broken her. With nothing more than a few harsh words, the girl had fallen apart before him. He couldn't understand. He couldn't see how something so trivial could strip her bare and leave her as this sobbing wreck of human emotion. What had happened to her quick temper, her unrelenting stubbornness, her faith in what had led her here, her resolve to see this mission succeed?

He had broken her and he had hardly lifted a hand against her. She was dying, but not from any wound of the flesh, but by something so much deeper and so much more painful. And he had done it. He had taken her fighting spirit; he had robbed her of her resolve and her pride. She had come here for no reason but to help him, and in return he had fought against her generosity, resented the necessity of her aid, given her nothing but hatred; and all the while she had stood up to him, challenged him, fought against him, tried to convince him that she could be more than he was seeing. But he hadn't listened, he hadn't wanted to.

And now, as she knelt brokenly at his feet, finally giving in to things that he had thought insurmountable, finally seeing the futility of what she had set out to do, finally understanding how useless it was for her to believe she had the strength necessary to see this trial through to the end; he found that he hated her for it more than he had ever hated her for anything she had ever done.

He hated that she had given up. He hated that she would allow herself to break so horribly. He hated that she would allow herself to show such weakness.

But more than any hateful feelings he had towards her, he hated himself for being the one to bring her to this end.

It went against everything that he had ever believed. She was finally showing him all the weaknesses of her humanity, but it was not her weakness he saw; it was his own. It was because he had not been strong enough to hold heart she had given him, it was because he had not had enough courage to believe when she had offered him her faith and her trust, it was because he had allowed his doubts and his biases to corrupt his vision that he could not see that all along she had been everything he had been told she was; it was because of his own weaknesses that he had not been able to see that her strength didn't come from her power or from her abilities but from somewhere he had never been able to see until now: her strength came from her heart.

And it was her heart that he had broken in his foolishness.

"Stand."

Kagome shook her head. She couldn't abide by his order. There was nothing that she thought she could do but to stay where she was, shedding the tears of her failure. But Sesshomaru would not allow it. He reached down and pulled the sobbing miko to her feet. She didn't fight against him, but she didn't move to help either. She was like a rag-doll in his hands, allowing whatever movement he would give to her but never creating any on her own.

"Look at me," he ordered sternly, but all she did was hang her head, shadowing her eyes behind her mane of hair.

"Please don't," She choked out between broken sobs. "Please don't make me. I can't…I can't bear to see it. Please…."

Sesshomaru reached out, taking hold of her chin and turning her head forcefully to look at him. But still she would not.

Kagome closed her eyes, unwilling and unable to look into his eyes. She feared so much the hatred and the resentment and the disgust that she knew she would find there. She couldn't take it. She had given everything she could think to give, and it hadn't been enough. There was nothing more she could give, nothing more he could take from her. And she knew that if she looked into his eyes now, that what she saw there would make it so that she could never go back. He hated her, and she knew it. He despised her and her kind. He resented that his father had chosen her to lead him on this quest, and he held no trust that she would be able to bring him through it. She couldn't face it. She couldn't bear to look upon him and see such a terrible truth.

"Please," she whimpered, "Please just let me go."

"Kagome."

Her shock was so great when she heard her name flow from his lips that she snapped her eyes open to see that what heard had been false. He had never, he would never…But when she looked into his eyes, what she saw there was not anger or hatred or resentment. She saw confusion and uncertainty; and she saw pain, the pain of knowing that it had been his wrongdoing that brought her such suffering.

"Do not cry anymore," He told her softly as he moved his hand from where he had been holding the set of her jaw, allowing it to travel gently across her cheek to brush away the moisture of her tears. "You are stronger than this."

Kagome drew in a shaky breath as she let his words sink in. The haze of uncertainty and doubt began to clear from her vision and she could see her way through again, and what she saw was him. She sobbed once more, but this time in relief, and collapsed against him, burying her face against the soft fur of his pelt. Sesshomaru allowed it to happen, and he lifted her into his arms and began making his way back out of the mists.

As he walked, he knew that her tears still spilled from her eyes, but those tears were no longer filled with her pain and heartache; those tears carried with them her renewed sense of faith and understanding.

Tears of the hopeful.

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I am officially running out of things to make Kagome cry about…or at least words to describe her tears. It was a nice idea and all, but the longer I write, the more I curse myself for ever thinking that it would be possible to pull this off. Not that it isn't possible, but I really don't like writing chapters this long. Longer chapters just means that it takes longer to get them out. Sigh. What to do what to do….

Anyways, that is all for tonight. Even Shadows need their rest.

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Too bad because I could think of some great ways to entertain myself if I did have some of the cast of Inuyasha at my disposal. Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on writing fanfiction.


	11. Tears of the Fated

Tears of the Fated

Tears of the Fated

"Ummmm…Sesshomaru? I really think you can put me down now."

Sesshomaru barely registered the miko's voice. He was far too preoccupied with his current dilemma, because it was bad. It was very, very bad.

He had been so determined to maintain his distance from the girl. He had known that she would only serve as a distraction. He had known that he must not be swayed from his course

His course, something he had all but carved in stone for himself. He desired one thing, and one thing alone: power. And he could have it. He knew that supreme conquest was not an unattainable goal for himself. Certainly others would try to disagree, but it wasn't arrogance on his part to have such steadfast belief in his abilities, it was simply fact that no one who had dared challenge his pursuit had lived to do so again. His father had been the only being that he had ever known that held more power than he did now, but his father had been a fool. He had allowed himself to be distracted from what he could accomplish, he had turned away from the supreme rulership offered to him when he captured So'unga and made its power his own. Instead of raising up his army and taking what could all have been his, he had simply laid down his arms.

But Sesshomaru had no intention to falter where his father had. He had no intention of being distracted or pulled from his course. He had set his path before him, and he was prepared to walk down it alone, prepared to fight, prepared to bring down any who stood in his path, prepared to discover the glory that waited just beyond.

But now, he had a problem. And that problem was currently nestled in his arms, resting her head against his chest, and running her delicate fingers through his sensitive fur. If only she would stop doing it for a moment to let his thoughts clear!

He truly hadn't meant for it to happen. By the Gods, he didn't mean for it to happen! But somehow, when the little miko had collapsed against him, when the immensity of her relief and gratitude was washed through him in her scent and touch when her power surged back to the surface from behind the wall she had formed in her moment of lost faith; somehow, she had managed to connect with the most primal part of him, the part that had already labeled her as his own.

Hindsight is a terribly frustrating and completely useless commodity. In hindsight, he realized that his determination to discover if the miko had truly seen him in the time of his infancy where imprints of the world around him gave him all the knowledge he would need, that he had opened the link that allowed it happen in the first place. It was complexing, but he could not ignore that it was now fact.

It had truly been him, in this time; that had caused the labeling of the girl in the first place. His younger self had not just responded to the miko, but he had been responding to his own mark placed on the girl. That was what had led him to imprint her into his memory, that was what had lead him to reaffirm the imprint in the present, and that was what had caused his instincts to take over and care for the girl in her moment of need, to wrap her in his own seal of protection.

He hadn't meant for it to happen, but somehow it had. And now there was nothing he could do to change it.

He had claimed her as pack.

He had allowed his scent and aura to wrap around her because the imprint in his memory had already told him that she was his and his instincts demanded that he care for her. But it was that action which had led to the problem in the first place, and he hadn't had any say in the matter.

And it was in this that lay the problem. Where he had been determined to stay his course, where he had been set to avoid such trivial distractions, where he had been certain that he would not fall into the same traps as his father had before him; he had failed horribly.

And it was all the damned miko's fault!

If only she hadn't been so completely intriguing as to give him a summons when she could have just as easily taken Tenseiga and lured him to her. If only she hadn't been so compelling as she rested in that hot-spring surrounded by that barrier of power, the mists rising up about her as a veil of intrigue, and the moisture in the air coming to rest upon her skin to leave it glistening under the light of the moon. If only she hadn't been so tactful when she had presented him with information she knew he could not simply ignore. If only she hadn't been so unexpectedly courageous the way she had confronted the rampaging demon in the tiny village. If only she hadn't been so brave as to face him down when she knew he held her life in his hands. If only she hadn't been so fragile beneath the temper and stubbornness and spirit.

If only she would stop running her hands through his fur!

"Is it a tail?" Sesshomaru still wasn't focusing on the miko's voice, but she didn't seem to mind and just continued. "I always wondered, you know. I mean, Kouga has a tail, and he's a wolf. And Shippo, he has a tail and he's a fox. I once tried to ask Inu…I mean…I tried asking if inus had tails like other youkai, but no one would give me an answer. I know you have a tail when you're in your true form, but I just didn't know….Sesshomaru?"

Kagome's ramblings had finally interrupted Sesshomaru's thoughts enough to make him look down at her. When he did though, he found her looking at him expectantly, but he hadn't really been listening to what she was saying so he didn't know what kind of answer she was looking for.

"So, is it?" Kagome tried her question again. "Is it a tail?"

Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow at her. 'Is that really what she has been going on about? How can she be thinking about my tail when only moments ago she was still crying? How is it even possible for someone to change their moods so quickly?' Deciding that he had enough problems to deal with, Sesshomaru figured that it would just be easiest to answer the miko's question so that he could get back to more pressing matters: like why he hadn't put her down yet, or why she wasn't yelling at him because he was carrying her, or why he was carrying her in the first place.

"No."

Sadly, Sesshomaru has actually believed that that answer would have been enough to appease the miko. He was wrong.

"Then what is it?" Kagome asked as she ran her hands through the soft fur again. "It's so soft and fluffy."

'Fluffy? Kami, what have I gotten myself into?' A soft growl began brewing in Sesshomaru's chest as he replied to Kagome's question. "It is none of your concern, miko."

Kagome tilted her head slightly as she puzzled over the chilly air to Sesshomaru's last response, but she decided quickly that it wasn't very likely that she would figure him out any time soon, so she just shrugged and went back to running her fingers through the soft fur she was resting against. It truly was exquisite. She had never felt anything so soft. Even Inuyasha's ears weren't this soft. Just touching it made her feel all warm and fluffy inside.

Unfortunately, what Sesshomaru was feeling because of her gentle caress was far less innocent that Kagome's fluffy, but since he had absolutely no intention of telling her that she was affecting him in any way, he settled on picking up his pace. They were nearing the edge of the mists and the small camp that the girl had set up, and Sesshomaru couldn't have been more grateful. A few more minutes of what that blasted miko was doing to him and he might have to find the nearest mountain peak and relieve it of all its snow.

As soon as he had entered the little camp, Sesshomaru set Kagome down on her feet. She shifted nervously for a minute, fidgeting with her hands in front of her, and worrying her bottom lip in her teeth. She had no idea what she was supposed to say, which for her was truly a rare occurrence. But eventually, amidst her heavy embarrassment of having been carried all the way back to camp by Sesshomaru and her even heavier blush because she had been carried all the way back to camp by Sesshomaru; she managed a weak 'Thank you,' for what he had done for her.

"Do not think on it, miko," Sesshomaru informed her as he moved to sit down at the base of one of the trees lining the camp. "Now rest. You will need to be alert to face the misted mountains in the morning."

Kagome really did try not to think about it. She tried not to think about it when she unrolled her sleeping bag for the night. She tried not to think about it when she restocked her camp-fire with enough wood to burn through till morning. She tried not to think about it when she patted Ah-Un goodnight after he had given her a curious look and a sniff when she passed by him. She tried not to think about it when she took off her shoes and climbed into her sleeping bag. But she wasn't succeeding at all.

She couldn't understand what she had done to make Sesshomaru treat her so gently. She couldn't understand how her horrible breakdown, which she would have thought would have only solidified Sesshomaru's low opinion of humans, could have made him look at her with different eyes. She couldn't understand why when he had held her she had felt such comfort and peace. And most of all, she couldn't understand how she could be here with him in such a personal way and yet still maintain the knowledge that he would make an attempt on her life the next time they met as though the time they had shared together here held no meaning for him.

What was she missing? What was going to happen to cause his hatred to return in such force? Was he truly so cold that he would try to make good on his threat to get rid of her the moment he held his father's final weapon in his hands?

But it couldn't be that. He had knowledge of her of a time before now, when she had yet to encounter him in a previous time. That knowledge alone told her that she would make it back to the well for another passage through time, because he could not have such memories if she never made it back to that time to create them for him. But why would she have to go back? What purpose would it serve? What was Toga trying to do? Why had he really sent her here?

Kagome tossed and turned in her sleeping bag, but her confused thoughts were keeping her from her rest. Eventually she gave up on the idea and turned to face Sesshomaru. He was resting comfortably, leaning back against his chosen tree, one leg stretched out on the ground in front of him and the other bent slightly with his arm draped over it casually. He had been gazing up at the stars, but her movement made him look back to her, knowing that she wanted to say something.

"Do you miss him?" Kagome finally asked. "Your father, I mean. Do you miss him?"

"No."

Kagome scowled slightly at Sesshomaru's clipped response. "Liar. I only spent a day with him and I miss him. But you…he was your father."

"Miko."

Kagome recognized that tone, it was one that just told her she was overstepping her bounds and it was time to take a step back. Still, she wasn't quite finished with her questions.

"I think I'm lucky," she told him with a gentle smile. "I'm lucky that I got to meet him. And I'm even luckier that I might be able to do so again. I think maybe he planned it this way, you know? I think he wanted me to come back to him to tell him how things went…or something like that. Don't you think so?"

"It is possible," Sesshomaru replied slowly, but he wasn't convinced. If Tenseiga truly was to bring the miko back to meet with his father, there was likely a more substantial reason for the necessity of the trip than simply his wish to know the outcome.

"Is there anything that you would say to him? If you had the chance to speak to him one last time before his death, is there something that you wish he could know?"

Sesshomaru's lips twisted into a bitter, ironic smirk as he replied to Kagome's question. "I would tell him that his sense of humor is not nearly as amusing as he would believe it to be."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because," Sesshomaru replied as his eyes drifted to look up at the towering cliffs of jagged stone in the distance. "He warned me to not trust my senses when it came to you, and now he laughs at me by sending me into those wretched mountains again where my senses will be blind."

"Again?" Kagome brightened at the idea that Sesshomaru may know his way around the mountain and sat up in excitement. "You mean you've been her before?"

"Once." He nearly sighed. "It was a very long time ago. My father had been training me to track. He released a small field mouse and told me to find it. But he had blanketed the area so heavily in his scent and his aura that I could not track the rodent as I normally would. I had thought to be fortunate when I heard the creature rustle a patch of leaves, but my father informed me that I since I had not used tracks to locate the creature that my trial had been void. He decided that the only way I could learn to track properly was if he robbed me of all of my senses, so he brought me here."

"What happened?" Kagome was leaning forward as he drew her into his tale. "Did you find the mouse?"

"No. I found that my prey had fallen prey to something else." Sesshomaru shifted uncomfortably. He hadn't planned on telling so much of this story, but since it seemed to be keeping the miko somewhat silent and that she would have to know sooner or later what it was that waited in the mountains for them; he figured he might as well continue.

"I tried to track the creature, but it had been capable of flight and in the mists I lost the trail. But that hadn't stopped what I was stalking from coming back to try the same with me. They came at me in a hoard, the harpies that called the jagged peaks of the misted mountains their home. I fought them, killing many and injuring many more, but still they kept coming. They used the mists to conceal their approach, and after each strike they would retreat back into its cover. I was young and inexperienced, and though I was holding my own in the fight, the harpies had made their attacks purposefully. They had directed me deeper into the mists and without my senses to guide me I did not realize it. By the time I had discovered what they had done, I was already facing off against their queen."

Sesshomaru paused in his narration to spare a look at the miko who had inched her way over to him during his telling so that she was right beside him, looking up at him with her blue eyes wide with anticipation.

"So, did you fight the queen?" she pressed.

Sesshomaru lifted his lip slightly in distaste when he replied. "I would never be given the chance to. Just before I was to launch my attack against the queen, I was forced to withdraw or face the fury of the Dragon Twister."

"Your father? He killed the harpies with So'unga? So that's why…"

"Why what, miko?"

"Why the dark aura coming from those mountains is so familiar. It's because of So'unga. Those harpies that your father killed, they're still in those mountains, but now they hunt for no more purpose than to destroy, to bring others into the cursed non-life they have been given by the Sword of the Underworld."

Sesshomaru found himself shocked once again at the miko's substantial knowledge of things pertaining to his family affairs. It still didn't sit right with him. He knew there was something pivotal that he was missing that would be able to account for the miko's knowledge in such things since she had only described their relationship as an uncertain alliance.

"Miko, how is it that you know so much about things pertaining to this Sesshomaru?"

"Why do you always do that?" Kagome asked instead of answering his question. "When you're angry or annoyed, you always refer to yourself in the third person."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "You are avoiding the question."

"So are you," Kagome shot back.

"It is…"

But she cut him off. "I know, I know; 'It is none of my concern,' right? Well then, you won't mind when I tell you it is none of your concern how I know the things I know. You're just going to have to accept the fact that I do know."

Sesshomaru glared heatedly at Kagome for her presumptuousness. The truth was, he did mind; he minded a great deal that she could have such knowledge about the three swords of World Conquest, his father's retainers when he was alive and the two battles which had lead to his death, and he was still a little perplexed as to her earlier prediction about his endearment to a human child. He wanted to know how she had gotten such knowledge. He didn't like being left in the dark.

But Kagome wasn't about to tell him that the reason she knew all that she did was because of Inuyasha. She hadn't even mentioned the hanyou's name because she feared what Sesshomaru's reaction would be. She knew that Sesshomaru wasn't very fond of his half-brother, and she wasn't about to find out how much of that animosity would be transferred to her if he were to find out about her relationship with Inuyasha.

So, rather than allowing herself to be intimidated by Sesshomaru's glare, she simply glared back at him. Unfortunately for her though, she realized very quickly why it was that Sesshomaru's glares are always so very disturbing: unlike humans, youkai don't have the need to blink if they choose not to. Eventually Kagome gave in to the burning of her eyes, blinked some moisture back into them and abandoned her glare.

"You're too stubborn for your own good," she sighed.

"You confuse stubbornness with persistence, miko." Sesshomaru smirked. "Perhaps if you wish to observe stubbornness, you should look in a mirror."

Kagome's jaw dropped open in shock and outrage when she caught on to Sesshomaru's insult, but since she really didn't have a good comeback to that, she settled on huffing loudly and sticking her tongue out at him.

Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow at the display, but he couldn't resist making a comment about it. "You know, miko, you should be more careful with that. I am sure that you would find it difficult to enjoy talking as you do if I were to remove that tongue."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh?" he replied with a slight smirk as he leaned towards her. "Wouldn't I?"

Kagome gulped down the nervous lump that was forming in her throat. But, strangely enough, it wasn't at all what Sesshomaru had said that had gotten her so on edge; it was the way that her body tried to pull her forward to meet him when he had leaned into her the way he had.

It was so completely wrong and confusing for her to be reacting to him in such a way. 'This is Sesshomaru!' She reminded herself. 'Remember? The Killing Perfection! He's Inuyasha's brother for crying out loud! I can't be thinking of…' She stopped. 'Inuyasha…'

Kagome gasped and pulled away from Sesshomaru with a jerk. She toppled back from her sitting position and her hands shot out behind her to catch her before she could fall. When she looked back at him, she saw him looking at her curiously. But she just couldn't face him right now.

"I…I think I'm tired," she stuttered weakly as she started to back away from him further. "I'm going to bed now."

Without waiting for an answer from Sesshomaru, Kagome turned and made her way quickly back to her sleeping bag. She climbed into the warm blankets and closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would come to take her away from her troubled thoughts. But before it could, Kagome's thoughts once again returned to Sesshomaru.

He was opening up to her, and it made her so happy; but at the same time it made her hurt even more because she knew that no matter what was happening between them now, by the next time he saw her Sesshomaru would make an attempt on her life. It wasn't simply a memory for her. In the time she was in now, what she knew was going to happen was fate.

And there was nothing she could do that would be able to change it.

Kagome sniffled quietly to herself as she tried again to push away her troubled thoughts. She needed rest. She needed to be prepared for the mountains in the morning. But before sleep could claim her, a single tear collected from her inner struggles worked its way free from her closed eyes.

Tears of the fated.

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Wow…I am amazed at how many different things people came up with to base tears on. Human emotion really is a strange thing, isn't it? Well, thanks to everyone who gave me their suggestions, hopefully I'll be able to put some of them to use.

I'm sorry if this chapter was a little confusing with the way that I kept playing on the temporal paradox, but I think it's really important to be able to convey just how complex the whole issue is. Well, that and there were a few things I tucked in this chapter that need to be dealt with in more detail later.

Anyways, hope you've all enjoyed.

Later

Shadow

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Too bad because I could think of some great ways to entertain myself if I did have some of the cast of Inuyasha at my disposal. Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on writing fanfiction.


	12. Tears of the Damned

Tears of the Damned

Tears of the Damned

Morning came too quickly for one whose sleep had been plagued with troubled dreams. Even when she opened her eyes, abandoning the futile pursuit of her rest; Kagome could not shake from her mind the images of fierce claws and fangs or the feeling of her body being subject to the burning heat of corrosive poison. But with those images, interspaced among the scenes of fury and fright, she could also see the shimmering flashes of silver, burning gold, and bleeding crimson clashing against cool blue ice.

Kagome sighed heavily when her vision cleared of her dreams and she saw the sky above her. But like her mood, the skies were troubled; their beauteous blue concealed behind turbulent clouds of grey which swirled and shifted and rumbled the warnings of their unrest.

"Miko."

Sesshomaru's voice had her turning to face him. He was still seated against the same tree as he had been when she had went to bed, but his expression was curious, almost seeming to her one of concern.

And though he would never voice it aloud, or even admit it to himself, Sesshomaru was concerned for the miko's wellbeing. All night he had watched the girl toss and turn in her fitful sleep. At times she would even call out in pain or fear, or sob as though her heart was being broken. Her torment had been so great that he found himself wanting to wake her from her plaguing dreams. He had even come close to it once, moving near to her and reaching out to shake her from her slumber. But when he had, even in her unconscious state, she had spoken his name into the night, knowing that he was close to her.

He found that he could not, that he dared not. When she spoke his name it was not as she had ever done so before. There was pain in her voice, pain so think that it almost seemed to him that she feared what his presence could mean to her. But the fear was not because of what he could do to her; her fear seemed that of one who was being untrue. Her heartache was that of one who had betrayed.

But what was she betraying? What faith had she broken to come to him now? What secret was she holding from him, and why was it causing her such pain?

"If you are ill-prepared for the mountains, perhaps it would be best if we wait."

"No," Kagome quickly disagreed. Her sanity was barely holding in tact as it was. "The sooner we get into those mountains, the sooner we can get back out again. I'm sure that I've wasted enough of your time."

With that said Kagome lifted herself from her bedding and set about her morning necessities and the breaking down of her little camp.

Sesshomaru tilted his head curiously as he watched the girl go about her morning chores. Was that really what she thought? Did she truly believe that he would still be with her if he thought her nothing but a waste of time? Didn't she know? Didn't she know that he reveled in the challenge she created for him? Didn't she know that he enjoyed her fighting spirit and her quick tongue? Didn't she know that her will and her vitality, that her curiosity and temper, that even her fragile heart had all been a shining light that broke away from the monotony of his long life? Didn't she know him at all?

What was he missing? Why was it that every time he thought he was closing in on the mystery that she had wrapped herself in, he found himself pushed back to wonder anew what it truly was that had brought her to him? What was his father up to?

Kagome's voice brought Sesshomaru out of his thoughts. She had already dressed for the mountains, wearing light pants that would not be bogged down by the moisture in the air and a jacket of the same unusual material that covered her sleeping blankets which kept them dry against the ground. Her pack was secured over her shoulders, as well as her bow and quiver…her quiver…her dwindling quiver.

He had noticed her diminished arrow supply when he had brought her back to the camp. And after telling her the story of the harpies in the mountains, he had been reminded of her lessening supply of weaponry. While he hadn't elaborated on the details of his bloody battle against the wretched harpies, he had remembered it all too clearly. The battle, the struggle, the blood. If he was to be honest with himself, and he was not so deluded to not see that only complete understanding of ones successes and set-backs in battle is acceptable if one is to be any sort of warrior, he may not have come out of those mountains alive if he had taken on the harpy queen. One-on-one, with no other barriers to their battle; he would have won. Even as the youth he was, he would have won. But with her underlings surrounding him, bombarding him from out the covering mists, and having already brought him injury; the queen would have been a formidable opponent.

Having such knowledge of what lay ahead of them on this journey, made Sesshomaru take a critical count of what weapons they held. He had two swords, but he had never even seen the useless blade drawn. What purpose could Tenseiga serve to him now if it was a blade that could not cut? So that left with only the weapons he had had the last time he walked into those mountains: his acid whip, his poison claws, his strength, and his speed. And those weapons had served him very well thus far. He held no reservations that his innate abilities would serve him well as they had before.

But the miko; she was a different story. Though she had her barrier to protect her, it was still no guarantee that she was protected. Still, she had her bow, and he had seen with his own eyes her proficiency with her chosen weapon. He had wanted to give her the fighting chance that he knew she would not go down without. He had thought that she would appreciate such a gesture, but now he was uncertain as to her reaction.

She was saddened by what had come to her in her dreams. It echoed in every one of her motions; from her lowered eyes dull and clouded like this morning sky, to the way her steps were slow and hesitant, to the slight trembling of her hand as she ran it through the coarse mane of the pack beast she had befriended.

She was talking to the beast, her voice soft and still carrying more of her emotion than she would have wanted.

"You're going to have to stay here Ah-Un," she told the dragon quietly, more soothing herself than him. "The mountains are too dangerous for you. Even if you can fly, the peaks would be impossible to navigate in the air. But promise me something, ok? Promise me you'll be here when I get back?"

Ah nudged the little miko affectionately. More than hearing her sadness, he could feel it; and he sought to comfort her. But unlike Ah, who was trying to soothe the girl, Un was more interested in what had caused her pain, and he was most certain that the one who had placed his mark on her would be the one to answer for it. Un snorted loudly and lifted his head to face Sesshomaru. In low grumblings of demon tongue he asked of the Taiyoukai what it was that had hurt the young woman.

Sesshomaru growled softly at the beast. He wasn't about to give answers to a low-level youkai, and it wasn't just because he had no idea himself. Instead, he conveyed the miko's order to the beast, telling him to remain at the base of the mountains in wait for her return.

Un, while not terribly pleased with the order of having to leave the girl, grunted his understanding of her wishes. He nudged Ah away from the miko, and together they settled themselves down on the ground, grunting to the miko softly to tell her that they would wait for her.

"The dragon has accepted your request," Sesshomaru informed Kagome as he made his way over to her.

Kagome smiled faintly. "You can understand him?" she asked quietly as she turned to face Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru spared a momentary glance at the dragon before he looked back to Kagome and gave his reply. "The beast, I understand. It is you, miko; that I do not."

"Me?" she squeaked in surprise. "Oh, there's nothing to know about me." She told him hastily and nervously. "I'm just Kagome. Plain old, simple, little Kagome. Nope," She laughed shortly as she turned to try and put a stop to the discussion, finishing her sentence over her shoulder, "Nothing interesting about me at all."

"Miko." Sesshomaru reached out and caught the girl's arm to stop her. She froze instantly, then slowly began to turn back to face him. "I know not what secret you are so struggling to protect, but for the moment I am willing to accept that you can not or will not tell me. Do not let this burden hold you down. You will need to focus all you are able to face the mists."

"I…I know," she stuttered weakly. "But it's hard to…to know what…"

"Enough." It was an order so stern, Kagome couldn't help but to obey. She silenced immediately and focused on Sesshomaru. "No more thoughts of what has been or what will be. Think only of the present, miko. You are here and now. No other time matters, no other course or mission; only you and me and these mountains.

Kagome blinked slowly, her head turning slightly to face the jagged peaks of the mountain range. She looked up at the mists concealing the towering heights, feeling once again the chill that had been brought to her by its maddened dance. It was madness to walk into that place, that place of such chaos and darkness. But she had seen chaos and darkness before, she had walked into its midst and battled her way out again. At that time, she had done it from Inuyasha's side, but now…now it was Sesshomaru. It was Sesshomaru that she would be standing beside, and it was he that was telling her that he expected her to fulfill her mission.

"So," she drawled out as she turned back to face him, "Me and you, huh?"

Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow. He could tell that her mood had already changed drastically for the better. She really was strange. He nodded shortly at her in the affirmative, which was rewarded when the little miko's eyes darkened to deep cobalt and began to shine with dangerous determination.

"Then what say you to the two of us going into those mountains and kicking some dead harpy butt?"

Sesshomaru smirked. Now she was talking in his language. He began walking towards the jagged peaks, but as he passed by the girl, he dropped the extra quiver of arrows he had obtained at her feet.

Kagome starred down at the object at her feet, completely unable to determine…well…anything in her addled mind.

"I am not getting any younger, miko."

Kagome was brought back to the present when she heard Sesshomaru's voice. She quickly reached down and gathered the quiver, pulled hers from her shoulder and shifted its contents into the new pouch of embroided leather, then abandoned her plain carrier of toughened skins and secured her new quiver over her shoulder.

She smiled brightly as she jogged slightly to catch up with Sesshomaru. The present was all she had now. There was no more past or future, those times would come as they would; but for right now, she had the present. And despite the darkness of the skies, she would do all she could to see to it that today would be a beautiful day.

Together, they walked into the swirling mists concealing the jagged peaks and the winged beasts.

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"It's not so bad once you get used to it."

Kagome was lying through her teeth. Being surrounded by nothing but mists, their endless depths and taunting motions, the way they concealed deadly drops in the stone with a blanket of deceiving innocence; it was horribly disturbing. And then there was the shrieking howls that would echo across the towering projections of stone, a combination of angry winds and restless souls.

It was chilling and terrifying, but Kagome found that she was not as intimidated by the mists and their dangers so long as Sesshomaru was still walking by her side.

Still, that didn't stop her from jumping in fright when a wild cry sounded out from somewhere close-by. She put a hand over her chest to calm her racing heart and steady her breathing, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught the amused smirk on Sesshomaru's lips.

"Are you laughing at me?" She asked incredulously.

He didn't answer, but that smirk of his didn't disappear either and Kagome got the distinct impression that he really was laughing at her. She quickened her pace so that she was slightly in front of him and able to get a better look at his face. Sesshomaru didn't make any move to acknowledge her and kept his sight focused straight ahead on their path. But Kagome wasn't about to be deterred by his ignoring of her. She poked a finger slightly into his side, a mischievous smile tugging on her lips. She looked up at him when she knew that she had gotten his attention and plastered her best innocent smile on her lips.

"Just checking to see if the ice had really melted," she informed him. She giggled when he lifted an eyebrow at her, but that only made her mischievous streak lengthen. "All that ice would have to go somewhere, you know. And I'm not so sure if hell is ready to be frozen over just…AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"

The ground beneath Kagome's feet had given out, the rocks breaking apart in ragged slabs and tumbling down the uneven slopes to be enveloped by the mists below. Sesshomaru reacted instantly, his right arm shooting out to wrap around the little miko and his feet leaving the ground to keep all of their weight from the weakened surface. He pulled her close to himself and made his way cautiously for a short distance, but flight for him in the mists was too much of a risk, so when he found a section of the path that seemed sturdier he set down.

"Th…thank you," Kagome mumbled as she looked up at Sesshomaru, a heavy blush flushing the skin of her cheeks.

She blushed even harder when Sesshomaru continued holding her, the piercing gold of his eyes locked on to her intensely. She shifted slightly with nervousness, but the movement had hardly been made when something gave her pause. Her body stiffened, and her senses heightened. Her powers were drawn to the surface, connecting with the enchanted necklace around her throat and infusing her barrier with the power to surge up around both her and Sesshomaru.

"They're coming," she told him as she looked past him into the mists.

Sesshomaru released her swiftly, setting his stance ready for battle. Kagome too prepared herself for the coming fight, drawing her bow from her shoulder and pulling an arrow from her quiver. Together, they stood in wait for what was coming for them through the mists.

All around them, the shrieking howls began ringing out. The harpies had found themselves new prey and were calling their sisters to the hunt. Their cries cascaded off the stone, so shrill that the vibrations they caused loosened small rocks from the crumbling peaks sending them clattering down into the mists. The cries made Kagome's blood run cold, but at the same time they filled her heart with sorrow.

She knew what those cries were. She knew what tortured existence these creatures had been condemned to. And if it were possible for these beings to shed the tears of their suffering, she knew what those tears would be.

Tears of the Damned.

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HaHa!! Lookie, lookie; Kagome's not crying! -Shadow pats herself on the back- See, I'm not making her out to be a complete blubbering idiot…only a slightly blubbering somewhat silly and a little overly-emotional…well…idiot (She's had a hot-n-sexy demon Lord as her only company for just over three days now and still hasn't jumped his bones…I would never have so much restraint ;P). But, hey! It's not so bad. She's getting there…even if she is a bit slow in the coming.

I know this chapter was a little shorter than the previous ones, but if I'm going to be honest, it's because I'm delaying the fight with the harpies because it's a little stuck right now. Don't worry though; I'm sure it'll come to me soon.

Well, that's all for tonight folks.

Later

Shadow

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Too bad because I could think of some great ways to entertain myself if I did have some of the cast of Inuyasha at my disposal. Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on writing fanfiction.


	13. Tears of the Elated

Tears of the Exhilarated

Tears of the Elated

Kagome had never seen a harpy before, but when the first of the winged creatures emerged from the mists, what she saw was nothing like she had expected. The creature's body was that of a woman, long and lean and curved bountifully. But where the body conveyed an image of beauty, the fierce talons in place of hands and feet and the sharp feathers stretching out from the harpy's arms to form her wings; told plainly that the creature was a predator. And one look at her face was all that was needed to know that this creature was a feral beast. Her eyes, wide and locked on her prey, burned red like hell-fire; and surrounding her face, in the place of hair, she wore a crown of hissing serpents.

The harpy dove down out of the mists, folding her wings back to gain speed in her dive. Like a hawk swooping down from above to snatch a mouse from a field, the harpy meant to capture her prey. But Kagome had sensed the creature's approach, and with her guidance Sesshomaru was able to intercept the attack. His acid whip shot out with impossible speed and accuracy, severing the head of the beast the second she was within range of his vision.

However, what would have been a killing blow on a living creature didn't hold the same power against the dead. The harpy shrieked, a terrible, piercing cry as its head fell from its body to drop down into the mists; but even without its head, the creature remained in the air, its arms stretching out for its wings to catch the updraft. It continued on its path towards them, its hind talons grasping outwards in an attempt to capture its prey.

Sesshomaru shifted to lash out at the creature again, but a frantic cry from Kagome had him tuning instead.

"Behind you!" She yelled at Sesshomaru in warning before she let loose her arrow to finish off the headless harpy.

Kagome waited only long enough to be sure that the harpy had been killed by her blow. Satisfied when she saw the creature's body melt into glittering ash, she turned her attention back to Sesshomaru. She was taken by surprise when she saw him reach up with his claws to rip though the flesh of one of the bird-beasts as it struggled to keep airborne on only one wing, before he turned to administer the same treatment to the second. His poison ate through the dead flesh of his opponents, relieving it from the beasts in fetid globs which splashed down to the rocks below. But still the creatures continued their struggle, oblivious to the tattered mess of their bodies, and they moved to attack again.

"What are you doing?" Kagome hissed as she strung another arrow and released it at the nearest harpy, melting it into glittering ash like the one before. "This is no time for playing around!"

"I am hardly playing, miko." Sesshomaru informed her in a low growl as he positioned himself away from the burning of the pure ash that was falling onto his skin while simultaneously releasing his acid whip to cut the second wing from the final harpy and sending it crashing to the ground.

"Do you really think you can kill them that way?" Kagome asked as she stepped over to the fallen creature. It was still attempting to raise itself from the ground even with no arms and a midsection so corroded by poison that its legs were barely attached anymore. She pulled an arrow from her quiver and knelt down by the struggling beast, putting it out of its misery with one solid jolt of pure energy conveyed through the wood.

When she stood again, Kagome took a moment to stretch out her senses to see if there were any more immediate threats. Though the wild cries cascading off the rock still echoed shrilly around them, the auras she felt moving towards them were still somewhat distant. Once sure she had a moment to spare, she turned back to Sesshomaru.

"Your claws and poison may work against the living, but these harpies are already dead. Cutting them, breaking their flesh and their bodies, won't do any good."

"Then what so you suggest I do, miko?" Sesshomaru asked in a slow drawl of nonchalance as he flicked away the sticky remnants of the harpies' flesh from his claws. "I do not control sacred arrows with which to purify my enemies."

"You really don't know?" Kagome stared at him unbelieving for a moment, but another wave of unrest crashing against her miko senses told her that their time for chit-chat had come to a close. She walked over to Sesshomaru, gesturing with her hand the direction the harpies would be coming from, then stepped behind him and readied her bow.

"You have two arms and two swords. I think that now is the perfect time for you to see what Tenseiga is really capable of." She caught Sesshomaru's less than amused glare, but she just smiled at him. "You're going to have to decide quickly. There are three coming in low and fast, and three more climbing for a dive. I know how good you are with a sword, so now you just have to work on your trust."

Sesshomaru growled softly at the miko in annoyance. How could she expect him simply to trust her knowledge when he knew that Tenseiga was a blade that could not cut? Did she honestly expect him to attempt such a risky maneuver when there were six harpies converging on their location? Even sparing the time to make one unsuccessful attack could spell serious problems.

Still, certain that he would still be able to fend off the creatures even if they managed to get within striking range, and willing to let a few past him to teach the miko a lesson should her ridiculous plan fail as he presumed it would; Sesshomaru reached for one of the fangs secured at his hip. He was slightly surprised to feel Tenseiga surge with gentle heat the moment his hand touched the hilt. And as he drew the fang and it began singing to him in its resonating pulse, he began wondering if it was possible that the miko had more knowledge of his father's fang than even he did.

"Incoming…"

The miko's voice from behind him stirred Sesshomaru into action. He darted forward to face the low-flying trio that was emerging from the mists. They came at him in a line, one after the other in a basic formation for successive attacks. But the simplicity of their attack gave way to the ease of their destruction. As they moved forward, Sesshomaru moved against them, the Fang of Heaven ripping through their bodies, one after the other. Three piercing shrieks greeted his ears following the assault, and as Sesshomaru turned back to survey the damage, he was astonished to find that all three of the harpies had been sliced right through and their lifeless bodies lay in crumpled heaps against the rocks.

A dangerous smirk found its way onto his lips as he reached for the second fang in his possession and set his sights for the sky. In both of his hands he could feel the warming pulses of Tenseiga as they accepted him to wield their power, a power that he had only now discovered. When the vague outlines of the diving harpies came into his field of vision, Sesshomaru leapt from the ground to meet them. They had tried to come at him from both sides, a tactic that they had used and nearly succeeded with in his last visit to the mountains. But this time things were different. And with one of his father's fangs in each of his hands, Sesshomaru spun quickly in the air, felling the harpies with a dance of blades.

When he set down on the ground again, Sesshomaru looked over to the miko to ask where the final harpy was; but the glittering ash falling down around her told him plainly what had become of it. She smiled brightly at him, a smile of warmth and joy that made him wonder. Why was it that she didn't seem to be mocking him for his distrust in her or ill-faith in his father's fang, but seemed truly happy that he finally did have the knowledge himself?

"So what now?" she asked, the warm smile never leaving her lips.

Sesshomaru took a moment to look around and reset his bearings within the mist. The first trio of harpies had come from the right, just beyond the sheer drop of the cliffs on this section of the trail. But he quickly dismissed the direction of the first assault, knowing it to be only that of a scouting party. Were the first wave to have been successful and the prey obtained, no further action would have been taken but for the converging of nearby sisters for the feast. It was the second assault that had been called to their location by the cries of the first wave. The sisters had come from the outer ranges of the mountain, he was almost sure of it. Though dead, their pattern of attack remained the same. It was simple really; all attacks would be made from behind, never allowing the prey to escape the mountains, and should they survive long enough they would be herded into the centre of the mists to face against the strongest of them all: the queen.

Sesshomaru turned towards the direction opposite of the second wave of the harpy attack and started walking. Kagome fell in step with him, trusting him to lead the way. Though she knew his senses had been dulled, she also knew that the strategist and the tactician that he was would never be without a plan.

They made their way through the mists slowly but steadily. Always prepared for the next wave of attack which always manifested in one or many groups of three, and constantly changing course to avoid dangerous pitfalls or to direct their path in the direction the harpies would have them go; they made their way deeper and deeper into the misted mountains, steadily climbing towards the towering heights.

Several times Kagome was forced to stop to catch her breath. The higher they climbed, the more labored her breathing was becoming, and the harder it was for her to maintain her concentration keeping her barrier steady around her. Sesshomaru gave into the necessity of her rest without complaint, and waited patiently and silently each time while she regained regularity of her breathing and occasionally took a small bit to eat from out of her pack...At least, he tried to wait silently. The miko, however, didn't seem to know what silence was.

"I think they're like bats," she said during one of her stops. "They use the echoing of their cries to judge the distance from themselves and the rocks. They react based on how long it takes for the returning sound wave of their voice to return to them. It's and ability called echolocation."

Kagome paused to take a bite of her energy bar and to swallow it down with a drink of bottled water. When she looked up again, Sesshomaru had turned to face her, abandoning his searching of the mists. She paused for a moment to look at him. It struck her suddenly how calm he seemed. Even here in this wretched place where his sensitive ears were constantly ringing with shrieking cries that left him deaf of almost all sound, and his keen sense of smell was blocked by the cold layer of moisture held suspended on the air; he was so calm. It seemed almost as though it were not he that was standing upon the mountain, but it which bowed down at his feet.

She blinked slowly and looked away, shrugging as her sight traveled back to the food in her hands. "Then again, they could use some sort of heat sensing. I've heard of snakes that can see in the infrared spectrum. Maybe that's what the creepy snake-hair deal is all about."

Sesshomaru didn't respond to her, and Kagome wasn't really surprised. He was different when he was fighting. He was driven and focused, and she respected that. But still, that wasn't going to stop her from at least trying to have conversations with him. Silence was annoying, and besides, she liked talking. It didn't matter so much that he only answered when it was absolutely necessary, because somehow she knew that he was listening to what she said. Not just hearing it because he was close to her and was able to, but actually listening to her words.

She finished the rest of her snack quickly then packed up her things again. Before she put her pack on her shoulders though, she checked the time on the digital watch she had stashed in one of the pockets. It was nearly two o'clock. That left them with only another four hours of sunlight at the most, and with night the mists would freeze again in the chill winter air.

"How far do you think we are from the queen?" She asked as she stood. "We don't have much time left before sunset."

"Nightfall will not be an issue, miko," Sesshomaru informed her as he stared walking again. "We are close."

No, they weren't just close, there were nearly there. Though the mountains had corrupted his hearing, it did not mean that he was deaf. The shrill cries made it impossible to tell what direction they were coming from by the way they echoed across the stone, but he could still hear the deeper vibrations of the queen bird. The sound was mixed in with all the others, a low pulse laid within the mask of the high-pitched shrieks and the howling winds. But the deeper they had moved into the mountains, the stronger the sound was becoming, and the more frequent it sounded out. She had been giving orders to her minions, sending them after her hunt.

Now though, the shrieks from the mists had begun to fade beneath the low drawl of the queen. They were close. They were nearly on top of her. But the attacks from her trio's had paused. For nearly twenty minutes she had not launched another wave of attack. She was planning something, he knew it. So he had allowed the miko to rest, knowing that their final battle of these mountains was at hand.

Kagome came to a sudden stop, making Sesshomaru pause and look back to her. Her eyes were closed and her hands were rising slowly from her sides, palms facing outwards. At first, her hands were pulling back as though something was pressing against them, but she pushed it away with a slight sweep of her wrist before closing her hands and opening her eyes to find his.

"The walls of the peaks are closing in. The pass narrows ahead, and they line the walls above. They're waiting for us to come to them."

"Then they shall not be waiting for long."

Sesshomaru resumed his walk towards the pass, and Kagome, her warning voiced, just shrugged and fell in step behind him. Once in the pass, Kagome could feel the presence of the bird-beasts all around then from above, but they still did not move. They held the heights of the peaks in wait for something to happen.

Then it did. A hammering echo against the stone sounded out. It was a beating, a pulse, a thumping impact that resounded through the air as harshly as it did against the rocks. The mists shifted wildly around them, being driven in whipping rushes away from the beat. The noise grew louder, the pulsing more intent; crashing against the towering walls like tidal waves and breaking free huge sections of the rock to crash down all around them.

The trembling of the stone was so intense that Kagome lost her balance. Her footing slipped, and she was prepared for the jarring impact of the ground. But it never came. Before her fall had been completed, she felt the strong arm that wrapped around her waist and lifted her. By the time she managed to look up at Sesshomaru, she found that he had moved them both against the face of the rock wall. He lifted his arms to stretch above her, placing his hands flat against the stone to brace against the shifting of the ground and the slabs of jagged rock crashing down from above.

Though Kagome's barrier had been deflecting any of the rocks that had descended upon her, the avalanche was worsening with every thundering pulse. The cadence reached its peak with one final crash that broke across the stone in a deafening roar. Whole sections of the walls gave way under the impact, dropping tons of debris crashing down into the narrow divide.

The massive fragments of jagged stone surrounded them on all sides and from above. They were buried under its weight, the heavy rocks pressing hard against the magic of Kagome's barrier. Her breath hitched in fright, and for a moment her sense of security within the protective shield of her barrier faltered with the knowledge of how much weight was pressing down on her from above.

"Miko, look at me." Sesshomaru's voice pulled her concentration to him. "The barrier will hold so long as you do not give in to your fear."

Kagome released the breath she had been holding in a long sigh as she allowed her fears to be burned away within the molten gold of his eyes. "Alright," she asked once she had calmed, "What do we do now?"

Sesshomaru took a step back from the miko once certain she would not let the barrier surrounding them slip. Judging by the muffled tone of the harpies' shrieks, he estimated that they were covered by at least four feet of stone on every side, and in some places were more than double that. The collapse had been substantial, and Sesshomaru wouldn't have been surprised if an entire peak had broken off under the force of the harpy queen's whirlwind wings.

There was only one way to break free of this much crushing rock: sheer, explosive force.

Sesshomaru turned back to the little miko, silently debating what he was going to do with her. Either he left her where she was, letting her barrier take the brunt of the falling stone as he shook it loose around them; or he could bring her with him, lifting her above the stone and moving them both through the tangle of harpies no doubt converging above them until they reached solid ground again.

It was hardly a choice. And despite his reservations for actually bringing her with him through the transformation, he realized that he hadn't been left any other very appealing options.

Still, it was a risky maneuver, and he wasn't certain how her miko powers would react to such a strong release of energy from him. If she couldn't hold her powers in check, his focus would be diverted from the task at hand in an attempt to control her. And such a thing was unacceptable. She was going to have to let his power overtake her without resistance, let him take control, and she would have to trust him not to bring her harm.

Kagome saw the detached, appraising look that Sesshomaru was giving her, and she understood at least part of what he was planning. "It's a pretty big job, right? A big job that calls for and even bigger youkai?"

"It is possible for you to come with me," he told her slowly, letting his words sink in. "I can take you in to the fires, but you can not fight against them or you will be consumed. You must embrace them and trust that it is still me within those flames."

Kagome's eyes widened in shock. He was offering to take her with him through his demonic transformation? Was it even possible? But she could see the steady resolve that burned in his eyes and she knew that his words had been true. Not only was it possible for him to take her with him, but that he would not bring her harm even if she surrendered herself fully to him.

"I can do it," she told him quietly.

"Miko, do not underestimate what this will mean. We are not alike. Our powers clash like night and day. Every fiber of your being will scream out at you to protest against me, to release your power and fight me."

"Did you know that in space there is no night or day?" she asked as she stepped closer to him. "There is only time." She lifted her hand from her side, placing it lightly against his chest. "I know time," she said quietly as her eyes lifted to meet his. "Time has allowed me to see and feel many things that I had never even known to hope for. And right now, time is giving me another of its blessings." She smiled timidly, "I trust you, Sesshomaru. In this time, in this place, I know that you won't let any harm come to me."

Her words were like a warm blanket followed by being thrown into a lake of ice. She trusted him, but only so far as now. In her future, in the time she knew him from; she didn't trust him. Why? Why would he be so removed from her after everything they were going through? Why would he allow her hesitations when he would know what it was she had done for him now? Was it possible that his future self had not experienced what he was now? Was it possible that the miko's circular talk of the timeline was flawed, and that they were actually changing her future as they walked down their path on this journey?

"What do I do?" Kagome asked quietly, stirring Sesshomaru from his thoughts and bringing him to focus on the present.

"Do nothing, miko." He told her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "Simply come with me." He shifted his shoulder allowing his fur to drape over her, wrapping the long length of fur tightly around her body and placing the end in her hands. "Like the markings on my skin, the pattern of my fur identifies me. It runs in a similar pattern across my back and right shoulder when I am in my true form. Hold onto it tightly, so tightly that when you emerge from the fires you will still be gripping to it firmly."

Kagome shifted her eyes down to the fur in her hands for a moment, but after securing her hold on the silken fur she looked back up to Sesshomaru; expectant, waiting. He took in her expression curiously for a moment before it dawned on him what it was the miko was waiting for. She was waiting for the change; she wanted to watch as it happened. She had no fear of the beast that lay concealed within him, and she was waiting to see it revealed.

"Are you ready?" He asked, even though he was certain of her response.

He watched as the girl nodded slightly, never taking her eyes from his face. Then he lowered his eyes from hers, allowing them to close slowly as he called forth the wild powers of his beast. They surged to the surface instantly, surrounding them in a blanket of dancing fires, a wild inferno of raw power. His eyes snapped open and focused on the girl in his arms one last time, but no longer were they placid gold for now they burned the crimson red of his beast.

"Do not be afraid."

His voice was deep and roughened, carrying a heavy undertone of the stirring beast, the makings on his skin glowed red hot as they twisted and lengthened into jagged strips cutting deep paths across his skin, and his teeth had lengthened and drawn apart to give distinction to each of his deadly fangs; but Kagome was not afraid. She smiled at him, then closed her eyes and leaned forward to rest against his chest, giving herself over to him in complete trust.

The heat of the inferno tore through her body, igniting her senses and coaxing her to join them in their wild dance, but Kagome held back. She breathed deeply, letting the heat wash over her, letting the fires to carry her upon them as they twisted and surged around her. Every part of her being filled with the burning heat; it surged through her veins and danced upon her skin, tearing her apart from the inside but holding her firmly from without.

She let it happen, all of it. She let the fires take her over, pushing away any thoughts or urges to fight against them. She welcomed in the hungry power, she was brought alive by its wild rush, she was filled with its purpose and intent and unstoppable will, she reveled with it as it grew towards its final release; and when it broke free of all the constraints barring it away, she howled out with it in triumph.

Air entered her lungs in a startled draw. The shock of the chilled air apart from the consuming heat had Kagome snapping her eyes open in astonishment. When she did, she found herself sitting on top of Sesshomaru's massive youkai form, her hands clutching tightly to the fur running across his shoulders. Breaking stone could be heard crumbling away from him in all directions, thrown back by the incredible force of the transformation.

She gasped again when she felt him shift, the muscles of his back pulling beneath the thick covering of fur, but the movement brought her back to reality. Kagome blinked rapidly to rip her mind and her body away from the sensations of what had happened. But even as she reconnected with her miko powers to bring her barrier up around her and brought her bow into her hands, from her eyes which still burned with the memory of the heated caress of the dancing fires slipped free the tears she could not hold back.

Tears of the Elated.

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This chapter ended up being so much longer than I had expected that I actually had to cut it in half. Every time I thought I was getting to where I would be able to bring it to an end, I would get a new idea, or be forced to slow down to explain something. Still, even though I like the chapter, I'm a little disappointed that I won't get to reveal one of my stunning twists until next chappie. –Shrugs- I guess we all have to wait then, ne?

Until next time

Shadow

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Too bad because I could think of some great ways to entertain myself if I did have some of the cast of Inuyasha at my disposal. Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on writing fanfiction.


	14. Tears of the Heavens

Tears of the Heavens

Tears of the Heavens

Once free from the crushing debris, Sesshomaru carried them swiftly past the thick gathering of harpies that had converged around them. The bird-beasts ripped and clawed at his massive frame from all sides, but their talons could not grasp onto the silken fibers of his fur and they were thrown away from his body with every leaping bound that he took, being scattered to crash against the towering walls and tumbling down to become buried beneath the still falling debris. The few that were unfortunate enough to come within range of Sesshomaru's great maw were ripped into tattered threads by his deadly fangs and their bloodied carcasses thrown away with furious whips of his head.

The sound of snapping jaws, breaking bones, and piercing shrieks filled the air all around them, and from her perch atop the massive inu, Kagome took aim with her sacred arrows, clearing the path of dozens of the dead harpies with each glittering wave of power released from her bow. But there were hundreds of the beasts, and every time she cleared a path through the hoard, dozens more were surging forward in an attempt to latch themselves onto Sesshomaru or to topple her from her perch atop of him.

She could feel Sesshomaru's unease of the situation as well as the rumbling vibrations that shook through his frame growing in volume and intensity. Suddenly, he sounded out a sharp bark of warning. Kagome startled, not knowing what he was doing or planning, and tightened her grip on his fur. But the commanding bark sounded again, followed only seconds later by a rapid shifting of his frame. He bucked backwards, rearing up onto his hind legs and shaking his shoulders powerfully, ripping her hands away from her grip and sending her plummeting from her perch.

Kagome screamed as she felt the cold air and mists rushing past her in her fall, and even as she sped towards the unyielding stone at the base of the pass, she could see the shadows shifting in the mists as the harpies advanced on her. The beast shrieked out their cries of victory as they closed in, coming from every direction their fierce talons reached out to tear into her.

But they would never reach her.

In a blinding flash, Kagome was caught in her fall and pulled away from the grasping talons of the harpies. She screamed anew and fought against the strong arms holding her firm.

"Kagome."

The smooth tenor of Sesshomaru's voice stilled Kagome's struggles and her voice. She looked up at him, finding that he had shed the powerful presence of his beast so that he could once again take up arms against the harpies. He brought them back to the ground, landing with such ease it hardly seemed he had left the ground at all. He released his hold on her once she was steady on her feet, then turned and stepped forward to face off against the harpies.

They were advancing in a hoard, having thrown off their planned triads of attack formations in favor of sheer numbers. Sesshomaru drew forth his blades, crossing them before himself to ready for the assault. But there were so many. Even with his speed and his strength, even with two of his father's fangs secured in his hands; no normal attack would break through the masses of shrieking harpies.

There was only one thing which could.

Sesshomaru quickly changed his stance, shifting the blades in his grasp and planting them firmly in the ground at his feet. The ground shook beneath him as he called upon his youki to infuse the blades with his power. Small rocks and stones which had laid scattered about his feet began lifting in the air around him as the crackling power surged up, caressing everything in its wake with searing bolts of electricity.

He pressed it into the stone, directing it through to the very heart of the mountain. A ripping tear began forming in the rock at his feet, spreading outwards towards the walls of the pass; and in it the brilliant white fire spread, absorbing into the stone of the rock walls, seeping through every crack and crevice, igniting the towering walls with its blinding light.

There was a silence that followed. Even the shrieking cries of the harpies seemed to pause, and the misted air trembled with anticipation.

Sesshomaru's eyes lifted to settle upon his prey, the burning gold spelling their demise. And from his lips came the sealing of their doom. Words spoken which in the silence surrounding him were a thundering pulse.

"Dragon Strike!"

At his command, from out of the rock walls on either side of the pass, they burst forth; the tremendous dragons of might and fury, of thunder and light. They were power incarnate. One of the mighty creatures broke out from the stone on each side of the pass, and in a great rush they bore down upon the shrieking harpies. The great fanged maws of the dragons opened wide, engulfing the hoard from both sides, sealing their victims in a maelstrom of furious thunder that ripped them apart and left nothing but tattered remnants of flesh and bone in the wake.

But even when the last of the harpy sisters had been slain, and the dragons of Sesshomaru's strike against them stretched up towards the sky and evaporated into the mists; it was still not over. From behind the line where her minions now lay in bloodied heaps, the harpy queen moved forward to meet them.

Unlike the underlings, the queen's body looked nothing like a woman but more a bird, covered entirely in sharp feathers. She carried her massive frame upon four legs each armed with fierce talons, and where her minions had one head crowned by hissing serpents; the queen had three. The three heads lifted together, each parting their beaks to raise their deep, droning voices in a terrifying howl of fury that cascaded across the stone. Then her massive wings lifted from her sides, stretching out so far they brushed against the walls surrounding her.

The sharp feathers rustled violently with the motion, some detaching from great wings; but rather than falling down to the ground, they hung suspended in the air around her. The heads snapped down again, three sets of darkly burning eyes settling on the pair of small beings before her and the serpents serving for her hair hissing wildly. She shifted then, bringing her wings forward to crash together in shuddering clap. The whirlwinds of her attack surged forward, bringing with them in the chaotic tumble the sharp feathers she had dislodged from her wings to slice through the air.

Sesshomaru reached out, taking hold of Kagome and drawing her near to him so that he could brace them both against the furious winds using his strong grip on one of the fangs he had embedded in the ground. She acquiesced easily to his hold. And together they stood against the cutting winds, never once coming to harm under the whipping rush.

When the winds finally began to give way, Sesshomaru released Kagome and drew his swords again. She too drew her weapon, setting an arrow against the queen. As Kagome drew back on her bow, infusing the arrow in her grasp with radiant currents of pure energy; Sesshomaru was infusing his swords with the torrents of his thundering power. The blast they released at the queen was phenomenal. Their energies twined together in an intimate dance of power. Coursing and strong it surged forward, consuming the queen beast in its magnificence.

The queen screamed out in anguished rage, but she could not hope to stand against such a force. It tore through her massive body, the brilliant light exploding outwards all around her. When it was over, when the wave of crushing power had passed, there was nothing left in its wake but for the glittering ash that drifted down from where the queen had once stood to settle gently against the jagged stone of the pass.

"Alright!" Kagome lifted her hands above her head as she shouted out their victory. She smiled brightly and began a skipping dance that brought her around in a circle. When she had completed her first turn though and was facing Sesshomaru again, she found him looking at her curiously. She stopped her dance immediately, blushing slightly under his stare. "What?" she finally asked. But when all he did was raise and eyebrow slightly, she just huffed. "You really need to learn how to enjoy yourself once in a while, you know? I mean, come on! We just kicked some serious butt! Can't you be even a little happy about it?"

"Perhaps," Sesshomaru replied dispassionately before turning away from Kagome and walking towards the queen's nest.

He could hear the high-pitched squeak of outrage from the lilt miko behind him and he could almost imagine the way her jaw would have dropped open in offense and her eyes would have widened into perfect disks of sapphire blue. A slow smirk began forming on his lips as he walked, one which ventured dangerously close to becoming an actual smile.

TTTTTTTTTT

"This place is creepy."

Kagome shivered in disgust as her foot came crunching down on another broken egg shell. The nest was a huge hollow in the mountain peaks, lined all around by broken shells which still contained the dark, slimy, oozing remains of what might have once been a harpy embryo. So long had the nest been dead, that what had remained of the queen's offspring after So'unga's attack had rotted into the slimy pools covering the ground. They were walking in a graveyard where there had been no respect given for the dead.

"Hey, what's that?" Kagome caught sight of a small opening in the stone and headed towards it. "It looks like a cave!" She called back to Sesshomaru, her voice bubbly with excitement.

Sesshomaru turned in the direction the miko was headed, but he saw nothing except more of the putrid shells and the face of the rock wall surrounding them. "Miko, I see nothing."

Kagome came to a sudden stop. "Really?" Her eyes scanned over the rock wall in front of her. Now that she was closer, she could definitely make out a large split in the stone that was easily big enough for a person to walk through. "But I can see it. There's definitely an opening."

She pondered for a moment how it was possible for her to see the split in the stone when Sesshomaru could not, but she quickly came to the conclusion that it was because of her miko powers. She was often able to see things that others could not. Like the time she could see the hairs of Yura of the Hair's attacks when Inuyasha could not. It was possible that there was some sort of barrier in place that was corrupting Sesshomaru's vision but not her own.

To test out her theory, Kagome reached down and picked up a small rock from the ground at her feet. She lined up with the opening in the stone and threw the pebble into it. She was amazed when the stone did not reflect back off what she had presumed to be a barrier, but rather froze in the air the moment it entered the split.

"Well…" Kagome drawled out slowly. "That's not…normal."

"What is it, miko?"

Kagome glanced at Sesshomaru, seeing that he had moved to stand beside her, before she returned her attention to the anomaly in the stone. "The rock I threw at the split, it just stopped. It's like it's frozen or something…" Kagome gasped as realization struck her. "The riddle, 'On earth, in sky, in time shall I be'. This barrier, I think it's a temporal barrier. I think the weapon isn't merely hidden in the mountain, but it's hidden in time."

Kagome began walking slowly towards the split in the stone. "Time doesn't affect me like others. I discovered this once before when…well that's not really important. But if I can see the opening because I'm not affected by alterations in the timeline, then it shouldn't affect me." She reached out with her hand, pausing only slightly before she would breach the barrier, then pressed her hand through. As she had expected, the barrier in the stone did not affect her, and she easily collected the small rock that she had thrown into the split.

She smiled brightly as she pulled the pebble back out of the barrier, turning and holding it up for Sesshomaru to see. He eyed the stone in the girl's hand critically for a moment, but he was not seeing the stone in her hand for what it was but for what it meant for him. He had seen the girl reach through what to him appeared to be solid rock and pull back again after having retrieved that small stone that she had thrown through the opening only visible to her eyes.

He was the stone, he realized. Without her hand, if he were to enter the rift he would not come back out.

Kagome's fingers closed gently over the stone resting in her hand as she came to the same realization as Sesshomaru, but when her hand had closed into a fist she caught sight of something that returned the bright smile to her lips. The magnetic bracelet adorning her wrist, it was an item from her time. Like her, it would not be affected by the temporal rift created by the barrier, and it would also permit the one wearing it to pass through without effect.

She pulled the bracelet off of her wrist and held it up to Sesshomaru. "I know it's not much," she told him as she tried furiously to suppress the blush rising in her cheeks, "But if you are wearing an item from my time then you shouldn't be affected by this barrier."

Sesshomaru appraised both the weight of her words as well as the item she had offered him. The metal of the bracelet was unique. Even polished blades could never be brought to such a shine. Still, despite the unusualness of the material used to craft the item, he still found it rather…ugly. He had been rather curious why the miko would wear such an item. Initially he had put it off as bad taste, but the more time he spent with the girl, the less likely that seemed.

Then there was the question of whether or not the little trinket would actually be able to keep the temporal barrier from affecting him. He was hesitant to place his trust in the item, but the miko seemed so sure. Perhaps then, it should not have to be the item he would place his trust in.

She was so willing to place her trust in him. She had given over herself over to him in complete faith. He could still remember clearly what it had felt like when his wild spirit wrapped around her loving calm. She was like water, soothing against the eternal flames; but at the same time flowing with them, joining into the dance. Even where he had been prepared to face the struggle, ready to lock down her restless powers so that he could complete the change; there had been no need. Such faith she had, so strong that it could will into silence the nature of her being. Should it be so difficult to find such belief himself?

Pushing aside his reservations, Sesshomaru accepted the silver bracelet from Kagome. He stretched out the metal band to accommodate his larger wrist, but the moment the unusual metal came in contact with his skin, he began to feel a subtle tingling sensation. A few days ago, Sesshomaru would not have been able to give a description to the feeling, but after spending so much time with the miko and being so exposed to her powers and the strange sensations produced by her touch; now he knew that the tingling he was feeling would be described as mild tickling.

He inclined his head slightly to the miko, a small gesture of his thanks for her assistance; then walked forward towards the rift in the stone that he could still not see. He passed through the barrier without incident, stepping free of the illusion into the cavern beyond. The small pathway he had emerged on ran for nearly twenty paces, but beyond it a huge section of the rock had been cut away to form a grand hall. The room stretched out from the entrance from both sides as well as from above, but within the great chamber there lay nothing but darkness.

"It's so pretty."

"The hall is impressive, but there is nothing here, miko."

"Are you blind?"

Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow and turned to face Kagome. "You question my vision? Correct me if I am wrong, miko; but is your human vision not impaired by the darkness of this cave?"

"Darkness?" Kagome scrunched her face up in confusion as she looked back into the great hall which was illuminated beautifully by a soft white light emanating from the centre of the room. "I guess your father really wasn't kidding when he said you would never find this thing without me." She smiled and winked at Sesshomaru, then began walking towards the glowing object.

But the nearer she got to it and the clearer the object settled within the soft glow became, the more hesitant her steps were. The item looked as though it were made of polished ivory. It was sleek and smooth, and curved in a gentle arch towards the sharpened tip. When Kagome finally reached the object, seeing it with unclouded eyes; she gasped.

This weapon was not a sword, it wasn't even a fang.

"It's a claw," she whispered in awe. "A weapon carved from claws. Imagine…If his claw, simply broken off in battle, was capable of sealing Ryuukotsusei; imagine what a weapon forged from those claws and infused with his power could do…"

Oh, and he could imagine it. His father's fangs had been forged into weapons so powerful that wielding them gave the ability to be the taker of both life and death. What wonders more could be found in this claw that seemed to steal away time itself?

"Miko, can you draw the weapon as you did the stone from the wall?"

Kagome shifted nervously. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted Sesshomaru to see this particular weapon. She wasn't entirely sure how he was going to react to it. Still, this is what she had come here to find, and she couldn't turn back now. Timid and uncertain, she reached out slowly with her hand. She took a deep, steadying breath when it was within her reach, then closed her fingers around it.

But her hand passed right through it as though it wasn't even there.

She tried again, more forcefully this time; but again her hand passed through the light and the image of the weapon she was seeing.

"I…I don't understand…I can't reach it."

"Try again, miko."

Kagome shook her head slightly and set her sight on the claw again. She took a deep, determined breath and released it in a long, steady flow as her hand clenched tightly at her side to waken her sleeping powers and to draw them to the surface. Her hand was glowing in a brilliant blue light when she reached forward again, her powers strong and steady. But as before, when she tried to take hold of the claw, her hand passed through it as though it were not there.

Kagome sighed as she brought her hand back, lifting it to scratch her head in confusion. "Ummm…maybe you should try?" she suggested weakly as she turned to Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru eyed the miko curiously for a moment. She was nervous for some reason. It had been a growing unease since she had first stepped close enough to where she believed the weapon rested to be able to see it. He had no idea what was causing her unrest, but for the moment, he had more pressing matters which demanded his attention.

He lifted his hand from his side, letting his power build just beneath his skin should it be necessary to break through what was keeping the claw from him, and then reached forward. A small nod from the miko told him when the weapon was within his reach. But when he closed his hand to wrap around it, he felt exactly what he saw: nothing.

"Maybe…we both need to reach for it?"

Kagome reached out her hand, pausing until she saw the slight nod that Sesshomaru gave her, then laced her fingers through the back of his and together they reached for the claw.

Nothing.

Kagome sighed as she released Sesshomaru's hand. "Well, I'm out of ideas. How about you?"

Sesshomaru debated the issue silently for a time, but the only conclusion he could come to wasn't very appealing. "You saw an opening in the rock when I saw solid stone. You see a weapon resting here which lights this hall when I see only the shadows playing upon empty stone walls. I believe that you are seeing images from another time, whilst I am seeing what lies here in the present."

"Are you saying that there really isn't anything here?" Kagome asked in disbelief. "Are you saying that this whole trip was made in vain?"

"It would seem so, miko."

"But…but it can't be! We came all this way! We fought so hard through those harpies! It couldn't have been all for nothing!"

"Calm yourself, woman. This journey has not been a complete waste. We know the location of the weapon and we have cleared the mountain pass of its threats. The only barrier remaining is determining what time the claw has been lost to."

Kagome sighed heavily and hung her head. "This sucks," she spit out angrily.

"As unfortunate as it may be, miko; it seems there is nothing that can be done about it." Sesshomaru turned then and started making his way towards the far wall of the room. Though he was fairly certain he was correct in his analysis of the situation, he wouldn't leave any possibilities unexplored, and he planned on scanning every inch of the walls and ground in this room to be sure nothing was missed. "You will camp here tonight." He called back to the miko. "We will leave the mountains in the morning."

"Here?" Kagome asked doubtfully as she looked around at the giant room of solid rock. "But there's nothing in here but rock. And there isn't even any wood or anything that I could use to start a fire."

"Would you prefer to be sleeping with the harpies?" Sesshomaru asked in a deadpan tone without looking away from the wall he was examining.

"No, you pretentious ass, I would not!" Kagome yelled at Sesshomaru in rush of anger as she began stomping her way over to him. "I would prefer to be sleeping in my bed; on a nice, soft mattress with dozens of fluffy pillows and fuzzy and warm blankets! But have you heard me complaining about leaving that behind? Have you heard me ask for anything but the most basic comforts? You can sleep out in the frozen mists and hanging upside down from one of those nasty peaks out there for all I care, but I do not plan on killing my back by trying to sleep on that stone or getting sick because I left myself open to the cold!"

Kagome planted herself between Sesshomaru and the wall, forcing him to look at her. She waited determinedly through his heated glare for his response, her arms crossed over her chest stiffly in defiance.

"What is it you want from me, miko?" Sesshomaru finally asked. "There is nothing but rock on this entire mountain, so fire is not an option; and night has already fallen, making it foolish to attempt to navigate the mists."

"Well…" Kagome brought her finger up to her lips and tapped them gently as she thought through her options. Midway through one of her taps, her finger froze and her eyes widened. An idea had come to her. She blinked, shifting her eyes to open slowly and slyly on Sesshomaru. Her idea was taking form quickly, and a wily smile began tugging at her lips. "You know, Sesshomaru," she started carefully, "I bet that all that fur of yours sure beats the winter chills."

"Miko…" His voice was full of warning, telling her to not even dare going where he thought she was.

But Kagome wasn't deterred in the slightest. "I have a friend who's a cat demon, and when it's cold out she always shares her warmth with me and my friends. She makes a pretty comfortable pillow too."

"Miko, this Sesshomaru is far from a lowly feline, and I am most certainly not anyone's pillow."

Still Kagome wasn't put off. This temptation was simply too great. She pulled her lips into the sweetest smile she could manage. "Please?" When there was no sign of change from Sesshomaru, Kagome decided she needed to step it up a notch. She batted her eyelashes innocently and tried again with a little more emphasis. "Please?" He still wasn't budging, but since he still hadn't given her an answer one way or the other, Kagome kept at it. She took a step towards him, tilting her head slightly back so that she could look up at him and the moisture in her eyes would shine and stand out to him in the dim light. Her bottom lip trembled lightly as she tried one final time. "Please?"

Sesshomaru blinked and shifted his eyes to look away from the girl in front of him. "Very well, miko." He finally relented.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Kagome squeaked with glee.

She was so ecstatically happy that without thinking she jumped up and wrapped her arms around Sesshomaru's neck, pulling him into a tight hug. Sesshomaru stiffened immediately at the contact, but while it had been unexpected, he found that it was not entirely unwelcome. Slowly, his arms lifted from his sides to wrap around the miko's delicate waist. He heard her gasp when she felt his arms settle around her, and she hastily tried to pulled back from him; but he did not release her.

Kagome blushed furiously in embarrassment, and slowly, hesitantly, she lifted her eyes to meet with his. Her wonder was not concealed at all beneath the glassy surface of her sapphire eyes, and in that moment, Sesshomaru could remember nothing he had even seen before that held such beauty. She was so close he could feel the soft curves of her body pressed against his and the gentle stirrings in the air as she breathed. He could no longer think about what he was doing. He had become lost in the endless blue of her eyes and the gentle caress of her calming essence across his senses. It was drawing him in, pulling him forward, and whispering to him of sweet promises. He yearned to discover her secrets, to know her by only touch, to taste the sweetness of her lips. She was so close.

"Please, don't." The words that left her lips were hardly a whisper. "I…I can't."

Sesshomaru stopped suddenly as reality came crashing in around him. He pulled back slightly from Kagome, searching her eyes for the answer to his unvoiced question; but she wouldn't let him in. She had pulled away from him even though she was still wrapped in his arms.

"Apologies." He said to her quietly as he let his hold on her slip away. "It will not happen again." He took a step back from her to give her what space he could see she needed for the moment before speaking again. "If you still wish it, I will not amend the offer to give you warmth. However, I will understand should you choose not to accept."

"Really?" Kagome asked quietly as her hands twitched with nervousness forcing her to weave them together. "It's still ok? Even if…if I…"

"Miko," Sesshomaru cut her off before she said something neither one of them wanted to hear, "If it was not alright I would never have agreed to it. I shall not allow you to become ill when it is entirely avoidable. When you are ready to sleep, simply tell me."

Kagome smiled weakly in thanks to Sesshomaru before she turned away from him and headed back to the soft light in the centre of the room where she could sort through her supplies to find her dinner and prepare herself for bed. He watched her go for a moment before he turned back to his searching of the walls. But even though he tried to focus on the task at hand, one question kept nagging at him.

Why?

TTTTTTTTTT

Kagome sighed dreamily as she snuggled into the soft fur of Sesshomaru's foreleg. It was like lying on a heated pillow wrapped in satin, and it took only moments for her body to relax completely. In no time at all, she was drifting off into dreamland.

When she was finally asleep, Sesshomaru released a long sighing breath as he settled his head down upon his paws to prepare for rest. But as he did so, the gentle scent of the little miko pressing lightly against his fur filled his head. He knew that sleep would not be coming to him on this night. Still, he allowed his eyes to close, trying to block away all thought of the girl that would be leaving him on the morrow.

From outside the shelter of the great cavern in the rocks, thy skies parted, relieving themselves of the heavy burden they had held throughout the day, and sending a cold winter rain to fall down upon the land. Sesshomaru focused his ears to listen to the steady thrum of the rain falling against the rocks outside, but the gentle splashing of the droplets and the rippling wash of tiny rivulets of water streaming down the mountain walls only seemed to mock him. All he could hear in the light wash of the rain was the sound of tears falling.

Tears of the Heavens.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

So, who saw that one coming? LOL Oh, but don't worry, I have a great plan for how they are going to find the weapon -

Coming next chapter: Time Shift number four.

Until then, I'm off.

Shadow

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Too bad, because I could think of some great way to entertain myself if I did have some of the cast of Inuyasha at my disposal. Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on writing fanfiction.


	15. Tears of the Liberated

Tears of the hopeful

Tears of the Liberated

The descent from the misted mountains began early the next morning. Silence hung heavily in the mists without the constant piercing cries of the harpies, and though Kagome would occasionally attempt to break the stillness with light conversation, her attempts were forced and lacking in enthusiasm. She knew, they both knew, that her time in this place had come to an end. Before this day came to a close, the two beings that had been brought together by their common goal would be forced to part ways, walking the paths of their lives apart once again. And it was this knowledge which hung on the air more thickly than the endless sea of white mists, and which filled the silence with uncertainty and sorrow.

The day had nearly reached its peak by the time they emerged from the mists of the mountain. The sun shone down from the cool blue of the winter sky, burning off the chill of the mountains. But even in the brightness of the sun's rays, the path ahead seemed bleak and grey.

Ah-Un greeted Kagome happily when she reached the grove of trees they had been left in to wait. She managed a small smile for the dragon and calmed away his excitement by running her hands soothingly through the coarse hairs of his mane. The beast purred in pleasure under her gentle touch, but even though he was happy to see her Ah-Un could still feel the girl's sorrow.

Un snorted loudly and looked up at Sesshomaru. "What have you done this time, dog?" the dragon asked in low rumblings of demon tongue.

Sesshomaru growled angrily at the disrespectful beast, but his anger was somewhat appeased when the second head of the dragon pulled back from the miko he had been nudging affectionately to administer a hard bite of reprimand for the first head's stupidity. Un yelped in pain and grunted loudly and angrily at his counterpart, but Ah just snorted in aggravation, told his brother he wasn't about to die today, and then proceeded to try and regain some sort of dialect with the Taiyoukai.

After a curt apology for his brother's stupidity, Ah restated the question with more tact. "The girl's heart is heavy. My brother, though foolish, only meant to find the source of her pain."

Sesshomaru eyed the dragon critically for a moment. This head of the beast had more composure and intelligence than the first. For a fleeting moment, he found himself unexplainably grateful that he had not been bound as the dragon to one of such brash stupidity. Even so, the disrespect of the fist head, sanctioned or not by the second, was enough to make Sesshomaru consider seriously whether or not the beast served any use to him alive.

"What's he saying?"

Kagome's voice pulled Sesshomaru away from his more destructive thoughts regarding the dragon. He turned to her, easily seeing the same sorrow that had engulfed her all morning. He hadn't said anything to her about it. He knew that she was saddened by the fact that she would be leaving, but what he didn't know was why. Why. A question that he seemed to be asking himself often when it came to matters involving the little miko.

Why had his father chosen her? Why was she so willing to offer her help to him? Why did she still feel the need to keep her secrets? Why did she fear him so? Why had she pulled away from him when he knew that she had been as affected by their closeness as he? Why was she so saddened to leave him now when she knew that where she was heading he would still be a part of her life? Why?

So many questions but so few answers. She wouldn't give him the answers he wanted, he knew it. But perhaps, perhaps there was something he could gain from voicing the dragon's inquiry to the girl.

"The dragon asks what saddens you so. He is worried for your wellbeing."

Kagome sighed and leaned her head against Ah-Un's chest, her hand reaching up to lazily stroke the scales of his neck. She closed her eyes, hoping to find something in the darkness to light her way out again. "Tell him that 200 years is a very long time, and that a lot can happen to change things." She opened her eyes again to focus on Sesshomaru. "A lot can happen to change people too." She blinked and looked away, pulling herself from her resting position against the dragon and moving around to his side. "Tell him," she asked of Sesshomaru as she pulled herself up onto the Ah-Un, "Tell him that I'm sorry that I have to go, but that we will meet each other again."

Kagome waited for Sesshomaru to convey her message to the dragon. She smiled gently when she heard the soft rumblings and short growls that Sesshomaru used to speak with Ah-Un. To her it was amazing that these two beings, so very different from each other, could still be able to communicate, could still share something in common. But they were both youkai. Despite the differences in their appearance and their abilities, that remained something which tied them together. At the same time though, it was that which had set her apart from them, and that which she had always believed had set Sesshomaru apart from her.

But she couldn't see it anymore. She couldn't see that he held any more reservations about her simply because of the fact that she was human. His attitude towards her had changed. Though he was still cold and detached, at the same time he was warmer, kinder, more caring. And then there was what had happened in the cave on the mountain. That moment, where all of the barriers between them could have been breached, told her that even though she would never have believed it to be possible, a bond had formed between Sesshomaru and herself; a bond of trust, of friendship, and of something more.

But she couldn't think about that. She couldn't think about how desperately she wanted to be able to give in to what she had wanted in that moment. She couldn't think about the way her body had burned with want and desire. She couldn't think about the confusion and the hurt she had seen in his eyes when she had made him stop. She couldn't think about it because she knew.

She knew she was still keeping secrets from him. She knew that he would one day come to hate her so much that he would lash out against her with his poison. She knew that her best friend, that the boy she loved, that Sesshomaru's own brother who was nothing more than an infant in the time she was in now; was a barrier that could not be breached. She knew, somehow she knew, that the key to all of this was Inuyasha.

If it hadn't been for Inuyasha, she would never had met Sesshomaru, he would never have been the one to save her from Naraku, Tenseiga would have never led her to Toga, and Toga would have never sent her back to Sesshomaru. And were it not for Inuyasha, were it not for Sesshomaru's hatred of his brother, were it not for his unwillingness to accept him because of his humanity; perhaps things could have been different for them now.

Perhaps, if it were not for the feud between the brothers, her first meeting with Sesshomaru would have been different and she would not have such hesitation to go back to a time where she knew he would despise her. And perhaps, if it were not for her feelings for Inuyasha, even though she knew he could never return them, then she would not have felt such guilt that she had been forced to pull away from a moment of closeness with Sesshomaru. Perhaps if things had been different…

Kagome was pulled out of her thoughts by the shaking of Ah-Un's large frame as he responded to Sesshomaru in rumbling growls.

"200 years?!" Un snorted in disbelief. "I may be only a dragon, but even I know that humans do not live that long!"

"Are you questioning my word?" Sesshomaru asked of the dragon in a dangerously low growl. "You tread on dangerous ground, beast. Once the girl is gone, she would never know if I were to kill you."

"HA! Who says I'm so easy to kill?" Un asked as he leaned his head forward.

Kagome's gleeful laughter put a stop to their discussion, and made both youkai turn their attention to her. "Awww!" Kagome cooed. "He likes you!" She winked at Sesshomaru. "Now I know why he stayed with you all this time."

Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow at Kagome's proclamation. Had he really kept the company of this beast for the 200 years between this time and the time she knew him? Is that why she had so easily befriended the dragon? Sesshomaru's attention was turned back to the dragon when Ah turned to him. While Un was preoccupied with the young woman hugging his neck affectionately, he took him moment to speak rationally.

"The girl would know if you killed us. You said yourself that she has promised we would meet again, and I believe that she is correct. Besides, 200 years isn't so long for us." He snorted lightly. "Once she leaves, I offer you our services should you ever need them; on the condition that you would permit us to share in her company once she returns."

Sesshomaru thought about the dragon's proposal for a moment before giving his reply. "Should you prove your services beneficial to this Sesshomaru; I will consider giving your request further attention." With that said, he turned his attention back to the miko that was currently making strange faces at Un, only to laugh gleefully when his rumbling laughter would shake through his large frame that she was seated upon. "Miko." She stopped in the middle of another bout of light giggles to look at Sesshomaru. "We leave. I would have you reach your well before nightfall."

The smile on Kagome's face slowly faded away as his words hit her. She nodded her head slightly to Sesshomaru in understanding then shifted her weight on Ah-Un to tell him that she was ready to leave. The dragon grunted loudly, looked back at the little miko to see if she was secure. Once satisfied of their passengers safety, Ah-Un pushed off from the ground and lifted himself towards the skies.

TTTTTTTTTT

"You know, Sesshomaru," Kagome started nervously as she turned to Sesshomaru. He was right beside her; flying on his cloud of youki next to Ah-Un as he had been since they left the camp at the base of the misted mountains. "We really are close. You don't have to escort me all the way there. I'll be fine, really."

"What makes you think that I am making this trip solely for your benefit, miko?"

"Because you're a nice guy and wanted to be a gentleman?"

Kagome sighed. Even she knew how stupid that one sounded, but she couldn't help it. How could she know for sure if Sesshomaru truly had known the location of the well before she had ever met him? How could she be sure that he wouldn't try to destroy the well when he realized what it was she had been keeping from him and decided that he never wanted to have his presence defiled by a wretched, deceitful human?

But she realized that Sesshomaru wasn't about to let her go without seeing the well for himself and knowing for certain that the portal she spoke of in fact existed. She sighed again resignedly and set her sights ahead. They were nearing the clearing in Inuyasha's forest, and though the land was not named as such in this time, she still felt the familiar presence of it all around her.

It was still early in the afternoon, but with the shortness of the winter days, the sun had already begun its decent towards the horizon causing the shadows cast by the trees to lengthen. For a moment, Kagome wondered where she would sleep on this night; where or when. Where would she be heading next? What was she supposed to do once she got there? But asking such questions only served to bring her more confusion, and she already had enough of that as it was. So, she pushed away her questions of what was to come and focused again on her present.

She was here. She was now. Nothing in any other time mattered. Nothing of what she knew, nothing of what she feared, nothing of what was causing her pain; none of it mattered so long as she could remember that at any given time all she could do was live in the present. She should be grateful, she realized. The time she had spent here, though trying at times, had been something that she would never forget. Time had offered her another of its gifts, and she should not lessen the beauty of that gift by fearing things which had not yet come to pass.

By the time they had reached the clearing by the well, Kagome had resolved herself to make this parting as pleasant as possible.

Ah-Un set down gently by the well as to Kagome's instructions. She slid off the dragon's back with her gear and thanked him for his help with soft, affectionate pats on both noses of the dragon.

"Thank you for all that you've done for me, Ah-Un." She said to him quietly with a gentle smile on her lips. "We'll meet again. That's a promise." She wrapped her arms as best she could around the large beast in a farewell hug, then stepped back from him and turned towards the well.

She found Sesshomaru looking down into the old well curiously. His right hand was brushing softly against the surface of the wood, seeming to her like he was trying to read it as one would brail upon paper. She forced a smile onto her lips as she walked over to join him by the well.

"Well, it's been fun," she said to him with superficial cheeriness, but when he turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised in question; she was forced to amend her statement. "Well, maybe not fun; but it was still…"

"I have hurt you." Kagome gasped at Sesshomaru's statement, the words that she would have formed dying on her lips. She thought to tell him that he was wrong, that it wasn't anything that he done to her in this time that was causing her pain, but before she could say anything he continued. "The secret you protect, you do so because in the time you come from I have hurt you. I know not why, and I will not ask you to tell me. But do not leave me now with this pain upon your heart. Let us both be free to remember this time for what was gained, not for what will be lost."

Sesshomaru reached to his side and drew forth Tenseiga, holding it out to Kagome. "I have found strength in a place where I had never thought to look. I will remember that though faith is blind, it sometimes sees more clearly the path ahead."

"I came in search of a weapon," Kagome said quietly as she reached out to take hold of Tenseiga, "But instead I have learned that no matter how sharp the blade, it can protect as easily as it could destroy." She secured Tenseiga through the straps of her pack and looked back up to Sesshomaru. "I will remember that even when something is lost and seemingly out of reach, all that we seek can be found if only given enough time."

"Time can open wounds in both body and soul," Sesshomaru told her gently as he reached forward and took her hand in his and guiding her to turn towards the well, "But time is also what allows those wounds to heal."

Their time together had come to a close, but before she left, Kagome made a promise to Sesshomaru. She turned to him, her free hand coming up to clasp his hand between her own. "There will come a time when you will once again see the sun and the moon rising together. When that time comes, we will meet again."

"Then go, Kagome. Find what it is you have been searching for and return to the time that you belong."

Kagome took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she prepared herself for another journey through time. "Goodbye, Sesshomaru," she whispered as she released his hand and took hold of the lip of the well.

As she had done so many times before, Kagome pulled herself over the edge of the old well, allowing herself to fall into its darkened depths. But just before the magic of the well could take over, she heard Sesshomaru's voice one last time.

"Return to me, my priestess."

TTTTTTTTTT

By the time her crossing had been complete and the swirling colors of the time portal had cleared, Kagome had given up trying to keep her tears at bay. She cried for the loss of what could have been and for the knowledge of what was still to come. She cried because she had seen a light that she knew would only be corrupted by darkness. She cried because she wished she had more time, because she wished she didn't have to leave, and because there was a part of her that knew no matter how much she may think to wish that she had never been sent on this journey; that she could not.

She wanted to remember him. She wanted to remember their arguments and their banter, their talks and the times when talking wasn't even necessary. She wanted to remember what it was like fighting by his side instead of against him, and how it felt to be surrounded by the wild fires of his spirit. She wanted to remember what it felt like to have him wrap his arms around her, to remember how safe she had felt, how content. She wanted to remember all of it, but it hurt.

It hurt so much to know that she would loose it all again. Because of time, because of events already passed, because of things that she couldn't change; she was going to loose him.

But if she knew this then why did it still hurt so much? Why couldn't she let herself forget? Why was it that every time she tried to pull her thoughts away from what he had been and what she knew he would be; that she could not? Why did she feel as though she had just lost something far greater than she had ever known? Why was it that her heart was breaking to know that she could never return?

And she couldn't return. That time had passed and now there was a new present. Now she may have to face him as she most feared him to be.

'Why miss them? Why love them?' Those were his words spoken just before he had tried to take her life. And he had meant every one of them.

Why? Why would he say such things right in front of her when he knew? How could he be so cruel? Why would he want to hurt her like this? What was she missing that would be cause enough to turn him against her in such a brutal way? What more suffering would she be forced to endure?

And so her tears fell. Against the soft dirt at the base of the old well, Kagome's tears dripped down. But even as her heart ached and spirit weakened, there was something stronger beginning to surround her. She lifted her head to look up out of the well, seeing the deep, endless blue of the afternoon sky. Her breath caught as her second sight set in and she felt the calming presence nearby.

"Toga."

She called his name like a prayer, soft and reverent; and she smiled through the wetness of her tears. But no longer were the tears she shed those of loss and of heartache. Her spirit had been lifted up; away from the darkness and into the light like a moth drawn to the flame. And the flame burned so brightly because it was the light of hope. In the tears she shed she released the shackles of her pain.

Tears of the liberated.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

The question of the day: Fang or Claw?

I honestly thought that Inu no Taisho sealed Ryuukotsusei with a claw, but when I received a review telling me perhaps I was mistaken; I needed to do a bit of searching. On Wikipedia (the place I go for everything because it is just so darn useful!) the profile of Ryukotsusei says that he was sealed with Inu no Taisho's fang, but on the site where I read the translated versions of the magna, vol188 where Ryuukossei (the spelling is different shrugs don't ask me) is introduced is entitled 'Sealing Claw' and what is holding the dragon to the cliff is indicated to be a claw. I tried to reference my anime collection, but unfortunately the episode I needed is currently being held prisoner by one of my friends (I just knew it was a bad idea to let that out of my sights! It always happens this way, only when you really need something is it nowhere to be found!).

So which is it? I would like to know. Or is it simply one of those things which has been lost in translation or animation?

My two cents: It would be very hard to get a fang stuck in the rocks that way wouldn't it? I always thought it to be a claw, and so it shall remain in my story.

Anyways, I guess that's all for tonight. Until next time.

Shadow

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	16. Tears of the Cherished

The Toga encounter

Tears of the Cherished

By the time Kagome had pulled herself out of the well, she was sweating heavily. The many layers she had been wearing to fend off the winter cold of the previous time weighed her down greatly in the heat of the summer sun. As soon as she had reached the ground above, she shrugged off her backpack and started pulling off her jacket and heavy sweater. Once she was down to only her clingy undershirt and her jeans, she breathed in a deep breath of warm summer air laced with the fragrant scents of wild grasses and blossoms.

But she hadn't come here to smell the flowers. So she quickly gathered her gear again and started out in the direction she had sensed Toga's aura. He was very close, only a short distance from the well clearing. But there was something more than the proximity of his aura, what she was feeling was massive. His power wasn't being confined at all. It hung on the air as a blanket of calming energy, wrapping around her in its soothing caress.

As she walked towards him, she wondered what it was that had caused this unusual release of power from the youkai. When they had last met, she had mistaken him for Sesshomaru by the powerful yet controlled presentation of his aura, but now there was no mistaking who it was that she was headed towards. Somehow he seemed freer, stronger, a presence to be avoided by any who would seek confrontation but which brought feelings of pure joy to the young miko who had thought that their previous meeting had been their last.

A happy smile of anticipation stretched out on her lips, and Kagome quickened her pace to a light jog. She was so eager to see him again. There was so much that she had to say, and so many questions that she needed to ask. So she hurried to meet with him, her friend she had thought lost, the one who she had willingly accepted such a difficult task from simply because he had asked it of her.

What would he be in this time, she wondered? Would the youkai she meet be the same youth she had encountered before? Or would he have grown into the great general she had only heard tale about? Did it matter? No. She knew that it didn't. He would only be Toga, and no matter what he appeared to be in this time, that was how he would always remain to her.

Kagome entered into a small grove of trees and came to a stop. The sun shone down in delicate streamers through the thick canopy above, filling the area with soft hues of golden light and magnifying the beauty of the luscious greens. And in the centre of the clearing, bathing in the warmth of the sun and resting quietly in wait; was the great inu.

He was so massive. Even Sesshomaru held nothing on his father when it came to size and sheer presence of his demonic form. But though his great size would, for some, be something to invoke terror; Kagome was simply awed. She had no fear of his sharp claws or fierce fangs, or of the burning crimson eyes that lifted to focus on her. She knew this beast, and she knew that underneath the mounds of brilliant white fur, the heavy frame, and the appearance of an animal; was the same youkai who had treated her with such respect and kindness when last they had met.

She smiled brightly and called out to him, waving at him and moving towards him again. But his sudden growl made her stop in her tracks. Kagome tilted her head to the side inquisitively. The growl he had released sounded like one of warning, but what could he be warning her about?

"Toga?" She called his name hesitantly and curiously, not understanding what he wanted her to do.

He growled again, the low vibrations of it shaking through his massive frame and stirring the calm air around him. Then he opened his great maw slightly, revealing the sharp point of his glistening fangs for an instant before he snapped it tightly shut again.

It was then that she saw it, a slight movement from between his front paws which drew her eye. She focused on the movement curiously, wondering if this was the cause of Toga's warning to her. She gasped when she heard a tiny whimpering noise coming from the small bundle of fur shifting restlessly between the paws of the great dog.

'It couldn't possibly…' she thought in shock, 'I was only kidding when I said that…It just can't be…'

But when the whimpering grew louder and Toga leaned down to the small bundle of fur to nudge it gently with his nose, she realized exactly what it was she was seeing. The small bundle of fur nestled between Toga's great paws was a darling little pup that was stirring from its slumber. With the careful nudging of Toga, the little bundle began to unfold. Tiny paws reached out lazily to bat playfully at the giant snout that was pushing it to wake, and squeaky growls along with little high-pitched barks began sounding out from the pup. But a well placed nudge from Toga had the little one standing on his own. He stretched languidly, lifting his fluffy tail and arching his back as he leaned heavily on his front paws. But again Toga nudged the pup, forcing him to turn around and face Kagome.

When the two finally set eyes on each other, they both pulled back in shock. The pup because he had not been expecting to find a human standing so close to him, and Kagome because she knew who this little pup was.

"Sesshomaru?" she asked in complete disbelief. "Is it really…" but before she could even finish her question, she was interrupted by a series of sharp barks from the pup as he backed himself away from her and closer to the protective shield of his father's forelegs.

Kagome looked up to Toga in confusion. She didn't know what to do. But he wasn't even looking at her. He had lowered his nose again to the little pup that was trying to cling to him, and again began pushing him forward. The pup squirmed and kicked, struggling to keep himself from being removed from his safety net. He didn't want to go out! But Toga would have none of it. He continued pushing the squirming, whimpering bundle of fur forward until he was only a few feet from the little miko standing before him. When he released the boy, he sounded one sharp barking order that made the pup stop most of his protests.

Still, it didn't stop the little one from trembling with fear after being left so unprotected, or from whimpering his distress to his father. But again Toga ignored the pup's whimperings and lifted his head to look at Kagome. He grunted softly, tilting his head to gesture her to move closer to his pup.

Kagome fidgeted nervously for a moment. Though she understood what Toga wanted her to do, she was still slightly hesitant. This was Sesshomaru after all, and even though he was just a puppy, he was still roughly the size of a Great Dane. Even sitting as he was and hunched over slightly in fear, he was nearly as tall as she was. But she couldn't let him continue to be so afraid. It was absolutely heartbreaking to hear his frightened whimpers.

"Sesshomaru," she called his name softly. The pup stiffened and slowly, hesitantly turned his head away from his father to face her. "It's alright," she soothed gently as she reached her hand out to him. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The pup pulled away from her outstretched hand, making a sound that seemed to combine a yelp a bark and a whine as though he couldn't decide exactly what response he should be giving. But he had only managed to move a few short steps before he was stopped from behind by his father's large paw pushing him forwards again.

Toga leaned down to his pup, rumbling soft, soothing growls to the boy, telling him not to fear and to follow his lead. He then leaned forward to the little miko and drew in a long breath of her scent. But something very unexpected laced within the miko's aura had him pulling back from the girl in startled shock. He huffed a short question to Kagome, but since she couldn't understand him anyways and he didn't need to her to tell him what he had read in her scent, he settled for grumbling out his deep, choppy growls of amusement. It seemed to him that his little miko had found much more than he had expected on her journey thus far. He reached down again to his pup, nudging him forward until he was so close to the girl that there would be no way for him to miss the scent.

Kagome waited patiently for Toga to coax his son forward. She didn't want to scare the poor little thing. She did, however take note of how ironic it was for her to be worried about scaring Sesshomaru of all people. Truly, the guy had made scary into a fine art, managing to make even the slightest twitching of his stoic mask enough to make the blood of his opponents run cold. But she couldn't help not wanting him to fear her now. He was just so cute!

She smiled brightly when she first saw Sesshomaru's wet little nose begin to twitch as he took in her scent like his father had instructed him to. She nearly jumped when he barked suddenly, but she forced herself to stay calm and was pleasantly rewarded when the pup took a cautious step towards her and buried his little nose against the palm of her hand. A few light giggles escaped her involuntarily as little puffs of warm air tickled against her senses; but she gasped sharply when the little nose ripped away from her hand and Sesshomaru pulled back from her, lifting his lip in an angry growl.

Kagome pulled her hand back slightly in uncertainty. But an incredible pushing off and drawing in of great power which sent waves of rippling pleasure jolting across her skin drew he attention back to Toga. He had gathered his enormous energy into himself, shrinking his form before her eyes in a brilliant surge of white light. When he finally emerged from out of the blinding light, Toga was in his humanoid form, clothed in his rich robes and armor, his hair tied tightly back but still free to fall down around him in a wave of shimmering silver.

He was laughing; deep, smooth rumbles of amusement as he walked forward, coming to stop by Sesshomaru's side and placing a steadying hand on his son's back to stop the boy's grumblings.

"He is confused because he can smell his own scent on you." Toga smirked and winked slightly at Kagome. "That must have been some trip the two of you went on."

Kagome blushed heatedly as she caught on to the insinuation. You couldn't spend all the time she had with a perverted monk and not know when someone's mind had wandered into the gutter.

"N…nothing happened." She protested under her heavy blush.

"If you say so," Toga intoned, still not wiping the smirk off his face which told Kagome plenty about how much he actually believed her and that he had good reason to think that she wasn't being completely honest. "It is good to see you again, Kagome. A great many years have past since we last spoke." He smiled at her warmly before shifting his attention down to the pup standing beside him. "Sesshomaru is pleased to meet you as well, I am sure."

"Yeah, I bet." Kagome bit out sarcastically. "He's acting as though I'm the first human he's ever met."

"You are." Toga smirked at Kagome's shocked expression. He really had missed the girl's incredible ability to transform through her emotions so expressively and so quickly. "Sesshomaru had not even met his first winter yet. He is hardly old enough to be apart from his mother for any length of time. I would not be so willing to let just anyone approach my first born son."

"Really?" Kagome asked quietly as a small, endearing smile began pulling at her lips. "Then I guess I should be thanking you for trusting me with him."

"Thanking me?" Toga laughed deeply. "No, my dear miko, it is I that should be thanking you."

"Me? What'd I do?"

"Why, you gave me something I've never had!" He exclaimed as he stepped over to her and wrapped his arms around her, swinging her up into his arms and spinning her in a circle before setting her down again. He laughed lightly when saw the complete disbelief and absolute incomprehension on the miko's face. "A daughter, Kagome," he told her happily before he pulled back from her again, "A daughter."

"A what?"

But Toga didn't answer her question. He only laughed again, deep chuckles of pure amusement. "You be sure to ask Sesshomaru about that the next time you see him." He told Kagome as he patted his son lightly on the head before turning from the pup and walking away.

Sesshomaru looked after his father curiously as he left. He barked once, but a short growl from his father told him that he was to stay where he was. He licked his lips nervously as he tried to figure out what to do. He wanted to follow after his father, but if he disobeyed he would receive a reprimand and he really wasn't all that fond of feeling the pinch of his father's fangs on his ears or the back of his neck. But if he did stay where he was, then that would mean…He slowly turned his head to face the human girl his father had pushed him towards, the human girl that for some reason smelled like family.

When he looked at the girl though, she wasn't even looking at him. She was kneeling on the ground, her arms submersed up to her elbows in her large pack.

"Ah Ha!" Kagome exclaimed with glee as she found the treasure she had been searching for. A startled yelp produced by her proclamation though, had her turning quickly to Sesshomaru. "Sorry," she said as she furiously held down the giggles that wanted to pour out of her. "I didn't mean to scare you. But I have something for you."

Kagome held her hand out to show the pup her treasure. She giggled lightly when he cocked his head to the side to observe the item.

"It's a tennis ball," she told him as she gave it a slight toss in the air and caught it with her other hand. "You play with it like this." She threw the ball again and watched happily as Sesshomaru's eyes followed the path of the ball intently. "Would you like it?" She asked as she settled the ball in the palm of her hand and held it out for Sesshomaru.

For a moment, Sesshomaru merely watched the ball, hoping that it would jump up again. But when all it did was rest in the girl's hand, he barked sharply at it to coax it into moving. Kagome laughed lightly as she shifted her hand, letting the ball roll off the ends of her fingers and drop to the ground. Sesshomaru jumped when the ball hit the ground at his feet and bounced up again. He growled and settled down low on his front paws, his eyes never leaving the object that was jumping up in ever-smaller leaps.

When the ball had finally come to a rest against the ground, Sesshomaru barked at it again to make it move. When it didn't, he became slightly bolder, moving slightly closer to bark again. When there was still no response, he carefully reached out to the little green object with his paw. He gave it a quick tap, only to jump and growl when it moved away from him. Then he saw the human girl reach down and do the same thing he just had, only with her hand. Again the ball moved, and Sesshomaru was learning quickly the object to this game. He barked and leapt at the ball that was coming towards him, pushing it away from him again back to the girl.

Kagome laughed happily as she continued playing with the pup. With every exchange of the ball he grew more excited about the game, and with every passing moment he grew bolder around her. At one point, he drew so close to her that his downy fur brushed up against Kagome's arm. She shifted her hand tentatively to run through the delicate fur on his side.

Sesshomaru stiffened immediately when he felt her touching him, but the soft, soothing motions of the girl's hand and the gentle way her fingers moved through his fur relaxed him. He turned slightly and moved closer to her, pushing his head up under the girl's chin. But when the only response he got from her was the light giggles she was releasing, he growled softly. He wanted to make her listen to him! So he parted his jaws, intending to nip her with his teeth. Before he could though, a strong hand grabbed the scruff of his neck firmly and lifted him away from the girl.

"No biting humans," Toga informed his son sternly, waiting until he lowered his head in acceptance before he set him down on the ground again.

"He was going to bite me?" Kagome asked in a squeak of surprise as her hands shot up to cover her throat defensively.

"You were not responding to his prompts, so he was going to nip you to get your attention. He would try the same thing with his mother or myself, but your human skin would not hold up against his fangs."

Kagome laughed nervously as she cast a wary look to Sesshomaru. "Well then," she smiled when she got another idea. "I guess I'll just have to keep those fangs of his busy." She scurried over to her pack and began her searching again. After a few moments, another triumphant cry told all that she had found what she was looking for. She pulled out the plastic bag, opened the seal and reached in to get one of its contents. She pulled it out and held it up to Toga. "It's food," she told him with a bright smile. "And even Sesshomaru admitted that he's eaten it before. Well, he didn't exactly admit it…But is it ok for me to give it to him?"

Toga allowed himself to take in the scent of the food the girl was offering. It smelled wonderful! He had never encountered something with such a unique or appealing scent. He reached his hand out to her, asking for the treat. Once the miko had given it to him, he brought it slowly to his lips and took a small bite.

It was like heaven. The food melted in his mouth like candy, but at the same time managed to be slightly chewy. He knew it was meat of some sort, but even with his advanced senses he could not place it. Everything seemed to mould together in the salts and spices used to cure the meat, and it was decedent.

"Do I want to know where you got this or why?" Toga asked Kagome slowly.

"Probably not." She replied with a slight grimace.

Toga just shrugged at her response and tossed the remainder of the food into his mouth, savoring it quietly. "You may give some to the pup if you wish," he told her once he was finished. "We need some time to talk anyways."

Kagome smiled triumphantly and dug into the treat bag for another snack to give Sesshomaru. Once she had one in her hand, she didn't have to look very far for the pup though because he had followed his nose over to her and her little bag of goodies. She held out the treat for him, and waited patiently for him to get up enough nerve to creep up to her and snatch the treat from her fingers.

A few happy giggles left her as she watched Sesshomaru take his prize a short distance away and settle down on the ground to chew on it. Seeing him this way filled her heart with such warmth that she could hardly contain it; but what was even more pulling than the joy in her heart, was the urge to smirk in devious glee. She had just hit pay-dirt! There was no way in hell that that over-stuffed, pompous, arrogant, dog could look down his nose at her now!

The deep rumbles of Toga's amusement sounding out near to her told Kagome that she had been a bit too expressive with her last line of thought. She wiped the trouble-making smirk of her lips, smiled innocently, and turned to face him.

"He really is cute," she told Toga sweetly. "I bet he's a real hit with the ladies."

"Now how would I know such a thing?" Toga asked in a tone that sounded to Kagome suspiciously Miroku-like. "There is only one bitch for this old dog."

"Whatever you say, old man," Kagome laughed. "You'll forgive me though for not being wholly convinced. I have, after all, met both of your sons."

"Indeed you have," he said slowly as he seated himself next to the little miko. "I did mean to ask you about that, Kagome. Could you tell me again what your relationship with Inuyasha is like?"

"Inuyasha?" she asked hesitantly. "Why do want to know?"

"Indulge me."

Kagome gulped a little. What was she supposed to tell him about her relationship with Inuyasha? She had already told him that they were friends and that they traveled together, what more did he want her to say? That she loved him? That even though she loved him, he would never let himself feel the same for her because he was still bound to a woman who had long since died but still walked the earth? That she had promised to stay by his side no matter what? What?

"Inuyasha…Well…I…That is to say, we…" She sighed. "It's complicated."

"Do you love him?"

The question was so straight forward that Kagome didn't know what to make of it. No one had ever asked her straight out if she loved Inuyasha. Her friends in her time tended to dance around the subject or feed words into her mouth without really noticing what her response was, and her friends in the feudal era knew how difficult the situation was so they never tried to press her. But Toga, he had just calmly asked her directly to express her feeling for his youngest son; and she didn't know how to answer.

Finally, Kagome found the words. "I want to love him. My heart tells me that I do, but at the same time it tells me that I can't. It's not just because of the differences between us or the time separating us. Inuyasha…he…he was in love before he met me. Her name was Kikyo. He was willing to give up everything just to be by her side as she was to be by his. But fate dealt the lovers a terrible blow. They were caught in a wicked manipulation and it ended with her dying and him being sealed by a mystical arrow for over fifty years. After I had released Inuyasha from the seal that had been placed upon him, he thought that I was her. You see, I'm her reincarnation."

"You are hesitant because you believe that the feelings you are experiencing might not be your own?"

"No," Kagome sighed deeply. "Kikyo is not dead; at least she isn't any more. A witch captured me and used my sprit to call Kikyo back to the living, depositing her piece of my soul into a body of clay. She is alive, and yet she isn't. She is a being caught between worlds, living off the stolen souls of the dead. But she remembers what brought her to the non-life she now holds. She remembers Inuyasha. And he remembers her."

Kagome paused to wipe away a stubborn tear that had fallen despite her wishes to hold them at bay before continuing. "She is filled with resentment towards the living, and she believes that Inuyasha should remain with her always; even if that means taking him with her into the afterlife. And he…he has agreed to her wishes. He has sworn that once he brings down the one that had wronged them so terribly that he will go with her, that he is still willing to leave everything in his life behind for her love."

"Feh! Stupid boy!" Toga exclaimed in outrage. "How could he give such a promise to the dead and not see how such an act will affect the living? How did he ever come to be such a blind fool?"

"He's not blind, Toga, and he's not a fool. Inuyasha knows what he has promised, and he only gave that promise because he holds himself responsible for what happened to Kikyo. She died believing that he had betrayed her; and he did break her trust, but only after being led to believe that she had turned against him. He seeks to make it up to her in the only way that he can, but promising himself to her for eternity."

"So where does that leave you?"

"I promised him that I would stay by his side. Regardless of what path he chooses to follow once our journey has been completed, I will not abandon him. It is hard sometimes, but I refuse to give up. He has suffered so much injustice in his life; I only hope to show him that there is still someone who would give him love."

"Kagome," Toga called her name gently as he reached forward to take her hand. "That is no way to love. You can still be with him, loving him as a friend and a brother; but do not let your heart ache for one who could never give you what you need. There will be another who would embrace the love that you could give, one who would cherish you for who you are not because you remain to them a ghost of the past. Open yourself to him, let him wash away the ache that you feel."

"I don't understand. Who are you…Sesshomaru!"

Kagome turned away from Toga quickly when she heard the contents of her pack being spilled out on the ground. She got up and marched over to the troublesome little pup, grabbing the opposite end of the treat bag that he had latched onto for dear life. Sesshomaru growled at her, never loosening his grip on the package.

"Those are not yours!" she scolded him. "Let go!"

But he didn't release the bag. His growling increased in volume, and he began shaking his head in hopes to loosen the girl's grip on his snack.

"You little runt," Kagome bit out, "Don't make me use force."

"Do it."

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise and she turned slightly to face Toga. "What did you say?"

"I said, Do it. Use force. Show him that his actions are not acceptable."

Kagome gulped slightly as she turned her attention back to the snarling pup that was trying to rip her bag of treats away from her. Hesitantly, she lifted her free hand in front of her, flexing it slightly to pull the slightest hint of her powers to the surface. She nervously looked back to Toga one last time, but he just nodded at her, telling her to continue.

"I'm sorry," she whispered quietly as she closed her eyes and reached forward.

A single finger touched the tip of Sesshomaru's nose, and with it a sharp jolt of scalding pain ripped through his whole body. He yelped pitifully and stumbled back from the miko, his eyes wide with apprehension and his fur still smoking slightly. He anxiously looked to his father, asking for his help in small whimpers; but Toga growled disapprovingly at the boy, telling him to fix his own mess.

"I'm sorry." The soft voice of the miko made Sesshomaru turn back to her guardedly. "But you can't always just take what you want," she told him gently as she reached out and ran her hand soothingly through his fur, calming away the sting of her previous touch and filling him with gentle warmth. "Sometimes what you want is held out of your reach. You must choose carefully what conquests you would follow, because there are some which are doomed to failure."

Sesshomaru whimpered again, but this time in remorse. He realized that he had been wrong, and that the punishment the girl had given him really didn't hurt much more that his mother's fangs; the effect of it didn't last near as long either. Still, he also realized that he needed to show more care with the human girl. She was capable of pushing him away with only one finger, and that was not something that he could take lightly.

His ears drooped down as he stepped towards the girl. When he was close enough, he reached his head up to rub under her chin and ask for forgiveness in light whimpers.

Kagome smiled gently and brought her arms up to wrap around the pup. "No harm done," she told him as she pulled away. "See," She reached into her treat bag and held out another strip for the pup. "I'll forgive you if you forgive me."

He glanced at the treat nervously for a moment, then back to the young woman. But she only smiled and pushed the treat closer to him. So, he accepted her offer of peace, taking the delicious little morsel from her hand and sitting himself down to enjoy it.

"I feel bad for doing that to him," Kagome admitted to Toga as she turned back to him.

"Why? It was an important lesson for him to learn. There are a great many beings that would not be as kind as you if he were to try and take their possessions from them. If he does not learn these lessons as a pup, he will be forced to learn a much harsher and much more painful lesson when he is older. You did well, Kagome. Besides, that little jolt you gave him was nothing compared to what he got after digging up his mother's entire garden." He laughed deviously, "And I won't even tell you what she did to me when she found out I was the one that let him loose out there."

Kagome couldn't help but to laugh at that one. "You sly dog, you." She teased playfully. "I bet you enjoyed it too, didn't you?"

"Never!" He exclaimed, the glint in his eyes and the smile tugging on his lips spelling out his deception as clear as day.

"Sure, sure," Kagome waved off Toga's remark as she seated herself on the ground next to Sesshomaru. She reached out to stroke to pup's soft fur, running her fingers slowly through the silken fibers. He purred softly in appreciation under her delicate touch and shifted himself so that he could rest his head down on her thigh. Kagome smiled warmly and continued her gentle petting even as she looked back to Toga to continue their discussion.

"Can he understand what we're saying?"

Toga shrugged. "He can understand, more or less. But it is not very likely that he will remember any of it. Mostly, he will retain the knowledge of the scents that he has imprinted to his memory as well as the lessons which either brought him joy or pain, like the toy you gave him or the treats."

"Imprinting…Sesshomaru said something like that to me before. That's how we both figured out that I would be coming back to see you."

"He's doing it right now," Toga told her as he gestured slightly with his hand to indicate the way the pup's nose was twitching lightly even as he seemed to be resting against Kagome leg. "He is identifying you as family, as pack, in his memory because his scent is already laced in your aura." He smirked. "Though it probably is best that he hasn't realized that he doesn't possess nearly enough power as of yet to mark you in such a way."

"What are you talking about? Mark me, as in how?"

But Toga just shook his head. "Ask him yourself the next time you speak to him. If you don't know, then I would lay money on that explanation being one to remember." With great pleasure, Toga took in the look of disbelief and confusion that spread across the young miko's face. But the moment he could tell she was going to say something on the matter, he cut her off. "Come now, Kagome, it just wouldn't do if I were to share all of my secrets with you."

Kagome huffed a bit in aggravation, but the mention of secrets reminded her of the many questions she still had that needed answers.

"Do you know what the third weapon is?" She asked him, careful to not give him any indication of what she had seen.

"Course I know!" he replied with pride. "It took me nearly 500 years to settle on the right weapon, now all I have to do is find the right smith to forge the items I need."

"But why?" Kagome asked uncertainly. "Neither one of them would…"

"Kagome," he cut her off, "I think you know that I did not intend that claw to go to either one of them. The final weapon that I will have crafted will be for you, my little priestess. I know that you will use it well."

"But I…"

"No buts, Kagome. This is what I have decided. I want for you to have this gift that only I could offer to you. One day, you will understand why, but until then I am asking you to accept it. Call it a gift, from father to daughter."

"I…I can hardly remember my father," Kagome told him quietly. She smiled timidly as her eyes filled with tears. "Thank you for giving me the chance to remember what it was like to know his love."

"So you will accept my gift?"

"Yes."

"Good, now please stop crying. You are unsettling my pup."

Kagome gasped as she looked down to Sesshomaru. He was whimpering lightly and nudging her leg softly with his nose. She realized that he was trying to comfort her, but that action only served to cause more tears to fall from her eyes. She couldn't help it. Her heart was filling with such wondrous feelings that she couldn't hold them all in, and they were overflowing from her in the tears she cried.

Tears of the cherished.

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Well, it seems that a large majority of you think that Ryuukotsusei was sealed by a claw, but there are still those who say fang. I say, it really doesn't matter ;P For this story, it's a claw. But thank you everyone who sent me a review to voice their thoughts on the matter.

As for the weapon, if you can figure it out for yourself; that's wonderful. But if you can't, please don't ask because I won't tell you. Sorry, but that's more or less the last you'll hear about its true nature until it is found.

And finally, I just have to do this. Squeals! Isn't puppy Sessy so cute?! LOL oh, and I'm sorry if anyone had any objections to by reprimand for the boy, but please people remember that he is a dog and K-9 behavior is far from delicate when it comes to teaching pups the lessons they will need for life.

Anyways, after that extra long chapter, I'm bushed, so I'm going to bed.

Later

Shadow

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	17. Tears of the Forsaken

Tears of the Warrior Priestess

Tears of the Forsaken

"Curious." Toga shifted his hand slightly, allowing the tennis ball to roll against his palm. He had never seen anything like it before. Certainly he had seen many children's toys and even the balls they would use to play their games, but this ball, even after bouncing against the ground or being compressed in his hand, always regained its perfectly spherical shape. This was no bladder of toughened skins used in his time; this object, the way it had been so flawlessly crafted, the brightness of its colors, the coarse yet soft texture of its surface, was truly a marvel. "This ball, is it an item from your time, Kagome?"

Kagome looked up from the young pup that she had been teaching to roll over. It really hadn't taken very long for Sesshomaru to come to the understanding that as long as he did the simple tasks the young miko asked of him that he would be rewarded with another of her wonderful treats. So he gladly played along, completing her requests with vigorous flare and sending the girl into gleeful bouts of her chiming laughter that was like sweet music to his ears…though not nearly as sweet as the treats she would offer him once she managed to rein in her laughter.

"The tennis ball?" Kagome asked as she looked at the item in Toga's hand. "Yeah, we use it to play a game called tennis. Two players stand on opposite sides of a net, each with a hardened mesh racquet, and they rally the ball back and forth over the netting, hoping to get it past their opponent and score a point." She giggled lightly when Sesshomaru started kicking his legs in the air to get her attention so that she could see that he had become the new master of the 'roll-over' game. She gave him a light pat on the belly and winked at him, telling him that she had something else in mind for his reward. She reached her hand out to Toga, asking for the ball. "Of course," she smiled happily as her fingers wrapped around the ball to generate a firm grip. "There are many other ways that these balls are played with."

"Sesshomaru," She called the pup's name to get his attention, waving the ball in front of him and laughing happily when he snapped himself up to his feet to watch carefully the path of the ball in her hand. "Fetch!" She threw the ball as far as she could, only to collapse in a pile of outrageous giggles when a cloud of dust lifted up around her from Sesshomaru's hasty departure.

"I think you might be enjoying this a bit too much," Toga told her with a few happy chuckles of his own.

"No way!" Kagome protested as she straightened her self to face him. "You have no idea how many times I've thought about doing something like this. I think it's only fair that I can have the chance without having to worry about loosing my head in the process. Besides," she winked at him slyly, "I've gotten Inuyasha to chase sticks before."

Toga laughed heartily. "Let me guess, you gave him a treat too."

"Nope," Kagome replied happily, "Didn't even need one. He did it all on his own. It was my mother's idea to bring the Beggin' Strips©. She thought Inuyasha would like them. I can't wait to tell her that I got to feed them to Sesshomaru too! I mean, she suggested it, but at the time it was just a joke."

"Time…" Kagome's statement had Toga pondering over the girl's unusual origins yet again. "Time has been good to you, has it not?" He asked with genuine interest.

"I guess," she replied hesitantly. "There have been a lot of good times that I've experienced because of my unusual relationship with time, but there have also been some very difficult times as well."

"We can not expect all of our experiences to be good ones," Toga told her gently. "If it were not for the bad times, how would we know that the good ones were indeed good?"

"I guess." She shrugged. "A friend of mine says something like that too. He says, 'If it were not for the darkness there would be no light. Though we fight to see the darkness dimmed, we could never hope to eliminate it completely; for if it did not exist, then the beings that would thrive in the light would not exist either.'"

"Your friend sounds very wise."

"He is," Kagome replied with a warm smile. "We can always count in him to be the voice of reason." She giggled lightly, "Especially when Inuyasha insists on being the voice of brash stupidity. I guess it just evens all out in the end, ne? If it weren't for all of my friends we never would have made it so far in our journey. We all play our parts, and we all support each other. It's because of that that I know we'll be able to finish our journey, to put an end to the darkness that threatens all of us."

"Would you tell me about your journey? Why is it that you were made to cross time in the first place? And what keeps drawing you back?"

Kagome eyed Toga critically for a moment, wondering if this was something she shouldn't tell him. But she realized that the creation of the jewel would come at a time very late in his life, and even if he were to discover its existence before his death it would be very unlikely that he would attempt to change its destined course considering that such a thing would alter time so drastically that they would stand a good chance of never meeting. So, she answered his question as well as she could.

"The answer to both of those questions is Shikon no Tama. It is an immeasurably powerful jewel that has the ability to strengthen demonic powers with even the smallest shard, but if whole, the jewel is capable of granting a wish to its possessor, any wish that their heart desires with no bias as to the nature of the wish. As I'm sure you can imagine; that makes the jewel a very hot commodity. Demons and humans alike seek out the jewel in hopes to gain some of its fabled might, and that is why it is so imperative that it is kept safe."

Kagome stopped her story for a moment to pick up the drool-heavy ball that Sesshomaru had deposited on the ground next to her. She threw the ball for him again, giggling lightly at the way his paws nearly gave out under him in his haste to give chase, before she turned back to Toga to finish her explanation.

"I was born with the Jewel of Four Souls inside my body. It was because of the jewel that I was pulled down the well in the first place. A demon that had been laid to rest there was brought back to life by just the proximity of the sacred jewel, and she rose up from the depths of the well and pulled me through. When I landed, I found that I was no longer in my own time, but 500 years in the past. Unfortunately, when I tried to retrieve the jewel from one of the demons that took it from me, I ended up shattering it. So now, it is my responsibility to restore the jewel to its true form, and to ensure that it doesn't fall into the corrupt hands of the one that wishes to use its power to plummet the world into chaos and darkness that bends only to his will."

"Such a heavy burden to be placed on one so young," Toga observed quietly. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that if such a task could ever be accomplished, that the young woman before him would be the one to find the way. Now, more than ever, he was certain that his decision to bestow his gift to the girl was a good one. She would indeed use it well.

"You will find the way," he told her as he moved forward to pull her into his arms. "You are strong, Kagome, stronger than I think any of us realize. If anyone can, I know that it will be you."

Kagome sniffled quietly against him as she allowed his words to sink in. He had such faith in her, more so than she even had in herself, and it was contagious. For a moment she allowed herself to be comforted and soothed by his warming presence, drawing from him the strength and security he offered. It felt so good to be able to let her troubles slip away within the sea of calm she felt wrapped in his arms. There was a part of her that wished she would never have to part from him, that she would always be able to lean upon his strength and find comfort in his loving embrace. It had been so long, she realized, since she had felt the strength of a father's love; but being here with him made all the time past in wanting so much less painful.

A daughter; that was what he had called her, that was how he was treating her now. But why would his views of her change? Was it the years that had passed for him that made his treatment of her change from their last meeting where she had been almost certain he had looked at her with nothing near as innocent as he was now? Was it time which had allowed his vision of her turn to be that of a father? Or was it something else? Was there something else she was missing?

Kagome pulled back from Toga slowly and lifted her eyes to meet his. "Why did you call me your daughter?" she asked quietly.

Toga smiled at her. Perhaps, he thought, she should know. Perhaps this knowledge would serve her well where she would be going. He was about to tell her why he would call her daughter, but a long sigh of exhaustion and an incredibly undignified plopping down of tired limbs on the ground had him turning to Sesshomaru instead.

"Sesshomaru," he called to his son as he released Kagome from his arms. He chuckled softly when the pup grunted slightly before slowly lifting himself from the ground and lazily making his way over to him. "Would you like to hear a story?" He smiled when the pup's ears perked up and he barked shortly in excited anticipation. Toga turned back to Kagome when he knew they had Sesshomaru's attention. "He enjoys stories," he told her with a wink, "And there is one that you know that I think we would both like to hear."

"What story?" she asked in confusion.

"Why, your story!" Toga exclaimed happily. "Tell us of what has happened since we last met. But just be careful. You have Sesshomaru's attention and you do not want him to recognize who the story is about."

Kagome shifted nervously as her eyes traveled from Toga to the pup at his side and back to Toga again. It wasn't that she didn't know how to tell stories, she had told Shippo hundreds of them to get the little kit to sleep at night; but this story was different, this was her story and she was uncertain as to how she should go about telling it.

A soft whine and a gentle nudging against her arm from Sesshomaru had Kagome looking into the innocent eyes of the pup which she could almost picture filling with little tears as he begged of her to tell him a story. She smiled warmly and reached up to pat his head.

"Alright," she relented, "I'll tell the story."

Sesshomaru barked happily and settled himself comfortably on the ground next to the young miko. She laughed lightly and set her hand on his back to stroke him lazily as she thought about what she would say. When she had finally put together most of the words, she took a deep breath and began her story.

TTTTTTTTTT

"There was once a handsome young prince. He was strong and brave, a warrior with no equal. He feared nothing, but also cherished nothing. He walked a path of supreme conquest, driven by his pursuit for ultimate power.

But the gods looked down upon the young prince and saw in him great promise. His strength and his valor pleased the gods and they smiled down upon him, sending him a gift of love. On that day, on the day that the sun and the moon rose together, the Warrior Priestess appeared before the young prince and asked of him a question.

'Do you know me?' she asked.

And he did, for the young prince had heard the tales in his youth of a woman who was strong and brave, compassionate and kind; and beautiful beyond compare. And the prince knew from the moment she asked a question meant only for him, that she had come from the gods to bring him great tidings.

They journeyed together on a quest of great peril. Fighting against monsters too frightening to even speak about and too dark to even mention their names, the Warrior Priestess and the young prince stood side by side. All who stood against the pair were brought down in the face of their enormous power and they achieved a great victory over the dark ones who wished them harm.

They continued on their journey, always searching for that which had brought them together. You see, they were searching for weapon, a weapon of such great and wonderful power that it had been kept as a sacred secret, never known to anyone but for the great being that had crafted it. But when they reached their destination, when at last they believed that their journey had come to its glorious end, the object they were seeking was not there.

It had been lost to time."

TTTTTTTTTT

Kagome paused in her telling of the story and looked up to Toga. "How was the priestess to find something when she didn't even know where to look? How could she reach something when the barrier of time prevented her from taking hold of it?"

"Time, I think, is a fickle thing," Toga replied. "Sometimes in its passage things can become lost, but they always seem to find their way into the light again. When that happens, time will stand still and everything seems as though it is just within reach."

"Stop time…" Kagome whispered in awe. "It takes a great deal of power to accomplish something like that. Power, in fact, that would have to come from the gods themselves. I've seen such a power before."

"I know," Toga smiled and winked at her. "Tenseiga told me a great many things that you do not realize. Before you even agreed to what had been asked of you, I knew that you had, and I also knew to when you had traveled."

"But how is that possible? How could you know what I would do when I hadn't even agreed to do it yet?"

"Do you remember how you told me of the temporal paradox?" Toga waited for Kagome to nod in understanding before he continued. "I do not believe that the initiating act can be so easily pinpointed. If you think about time as a circular occurrence, where everything that has happened in the past must happen again to crate the future, then it is not so hard to imagine that Tenseiga knew of your actions in its past to crate the future it knew even though you had yet to experience those events in you present."

"So you're saying that Tenseiga remembered me, not from the first time that I encountered it, but from the first time that it encountered me even though that time happened chronologically later from my perspective? That's what I thought too. But if that's the case…then it also means that he…that he really does remember and even so that he still…"

"Kagome," Toga cut her off before she could finish. He knew what she was going to say, and he didn't have a good explanation for his son's actions. He did, however, have a sneaking suspicion of what could have happened. Tenseiga had remembered clearly the moment when Sesshomaru's heart had been encased in ice so thick that even it could not penetrate the barrier for nearly a hundred years following, and though it could not give an explanation for what had happened, Toga was very good at deduction. "I think that Sesshomaru is anxious to hear the rest of your story. Perhaps we should postpone our discussions until you have finished the tale."

Kagome narrowed her eyes slightly in aggravation. Toga was trying to divert her and she didn't like it. Still, she could see as well that their discussion had lost the pup at her side completely and that he was truly eager to find out what happened next. So, she shrugged and continued with the tale.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Knowing that she must complete the mission asked of her to discover the resting place of the magnificent weapon, the Warrior Priestess was forced to say goodbye to the young prince. But before she left, she promised him that one day he would once again see the sun and the moon rising together as one; and that on that day she would return to him.

As she began drifting away, back to whence she had came, she heard the voice of the young prince one last time and her heart filled with joy.

'Return to me, my priestess.'

You see, all of their struggles and all of the trials set against them, had brought the two very different beings together, and the prince had come to care deeply for the Warrior Priestess as she had for him."

TTTTTTTTTT

Kagome stopped her telling again. She smiled gently when Sesshomaru sighed dreamily and settled his head down on his paws and closed his eyes. It had been a long day for him, and a bedtime story was all it had taken to coax him into giving in to the rest his little body demanded of him.

Kagome sighed as well, but unlike the pup whose sigh had been one of pleasure and contentment, Kagome's sigh was one full of sorrow. Telling the story had brought back her memories of her time with Sesshomaru to play out vividly in her mind. She could see so clearly the moments she had shared with him; even feel again the wanting that had burned through her due to his tender touch.

If she remembered it all so clearly, how could he not? How could he have let his heart turn against her? Without her knowledge or consent, tears began forming in Kagome's eyes in response to her heartache.

"Why do you shed tears for such a happy ending?" Toga asked her gently.

"Because," Kagome replied in a voice broken by pain as her eyes lifted to find his again, "Because even as the Priestess' heart filled with joy at the words of the young prince, she knew that when next they met that there would be only hatred for her burning in his eyes. And she couldn't understand why."

"Shadows of sorrow will fade with the light," Toga told her as he reached forward to brush away her sparkling tears. "And in truth you shall find a light that will chase away all doubt."

"But what if the truth is something I don't want to accept? How can you be so sure that the truth you speak of will bring joy and not pain?"

Toga sighed. "I guess there is no certainty, but you must have faith, Kagome."

"I want to believe," Kagome whispered as she moved her hand to stroke through Sesshomaru's downy fur. She smiled sadly when she heard his soft rumbles of pleasure and tears once again began welling up in her eyes. "I want to believe that there could be more that what I can see." She told Toga quietly when she looked back to him. "But hatred, distrust, anger, and resentment are the barriers that block the way and which impair my vision. Tell me," she begged him in a broken voice. "Tell me how it is I'm supposed to break through such hardened defenses. Tell me how it is that I'm supposed to clear the way to see clearly once more."

"Love is a weapon stronger than any barrier of hatred. Look into your heart, Kagome, and you will realize that you have had what you've needed all along."

"It isn't enough," she sighed in despair. "Love must be returned to hold any power."

Toga sighed as well and closed his eyes to the sight of the crying girl. There was nothing more he could say to her to ease her pain. There was nothing more he could tell her that wouldn't impede in what she would have to learn for herself. And though he wanted desperately to be able to comfort her, to wipe away the tears that she shed, he knew he could not. There was only one who could ease away her tears, and only one who could lift the heavy burden that she carried upon her heart. But until that time when he would, until that time when he could; her tears would fall.

Tears of the forsaken.

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Awwwww…these chapters with Toga are just so cute! Unfortunately though, this is the last chapter for this time period. Coming up next chapter: Time shift number five. It may take slightly longer for this chapter to come out. I have the perfect song that I want to put into the story, but in order for it to work the way I want it to, the chapter will have to be much longer than it would have been otherwise. But hopefully it'll be worth the wait ;P

R: Hey Shadow, got a question for you.

S: Ok, shoot.

R: What shape is a ball?

S: Is this a trick question?

R: Indulge me.

S: Round…

R: That's very good. Now, what shape is a cylinder?

S: Ummm…Roundish?

R: Yes, and?

S: And…Longish?

R: So if a cylinder is roundish and longish, tell me why it is you used the word cylindrical to describe a ball?

S: hehe….well…you see….about that…

R: No excuses Shadow, just fix it.

S: Hey! I don't see you trying to come up with creative ways to describe a blasted tennis ball! Sniffle what if I want it to be cylindrical? It is a kinda fun sounding word.

R: I guess you've got me there. But you don't want all of your wonderful readers to think that you flunked out of geometry.

S: You know, I got an 'A' in geometry.

R: Really…Well…I bet your math teacher would be so proud!

S: Ha…Ha…Very funny. Alright, alright, I'll fix it.

R: That's what I wanted to hear!

S: No, you wanted to hear me admit that I was wrong. I bet you find some sort of perverse pleasure in pointing out my mistakes.

R: Well, there is that. But I still love you!

S: Do you think sucking up is going to make me feel better about this?

R: Not really, but it might help you write faster. Cylinder or sphere, I still love this story!

S: Sigh Me too. You're lucky. Otherwise I might have to go hide in a corner for a month to get over my blonde moment.

R: Hey, just be grateful that you're only blonde about 5 of the time.

S: 5! Don't test me Red, or I'll block you from reading my story!

R: Ha! You can't! I know what's going on in that head of yours!

S: Only because you're in my head!...hehe…it probably isn't healthy to have arguments with your alternate personalities is it?

R: Shrugs You can't be any worse off than a demon lord that has 'special' talks with his beast.

S: At least he can get that voice to shut up when he wants it to!

R: Ok, I can take a hint. I'm outta here. But I'll be back the next time your fingers type in the wrong words.

S: Gee, I can hardly wait.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	18. Tears of the Secluded

Tears of the Secluded

Tears of the Secluded

Kagome looked down into the darkened depths of the old well and sighed heavily.

_- I'm so tired of being here, -_

She knew that the time had come for her to face him. She knew that there was no more time for youthful games and childish ignorance. She would pass through the time portal and come face-to-face with the Sesshomaru that had brought her nightmares after their first meeting. No more would she be able to see him as the playful pup or as the one in whom she had held such trust and faith and who she so desperately wished she could see once more, fall into his arms once more, feel the warmth of his touch and security he offered.

Now the time had come for her to confront the ice, to stand against the distain and the hatred, to face him as she most feared him to be.

_- Suppressed by all my childish fears; -_

"Kagome," Toga's voice from behind her made her turn to face him. He took in her tired and saddened expression and his heart went out to her. He had asked so much of her. Even though the weapon she sought was to be hers, he couldn't help but feel guilt for the pain that his decision was bringing her now. In the end, he knew, things would be right again; but for right now she seemed so lost, so frightened, so held down by the terrible trials she was facing. "Are you sure that you won't stay the night with us?"

"Yes," Kagome sighed wearily. "I wouldn't want to intrude. Besides," she managed a weak smile, "I wouldn't want your mate to be angry at you for bringing home stray humans."

"Kagome…"

"No, Toga. Really, it's ok. I think it's better this way. Spending today with you, having the time to get to know you better, it really has been a blessing. But I just…I just can't stay any longer. I need to finish this. I can't be with him like this and still maintain the knowledge that I do. I can't go on pretending that things are going to be any different when I see him next. I must face him. I must learn the truth, no matter how much it may hurt me to hear it."

Toga smiled warmly at her. She was so strong, so filled with courage and heart. How blessed he had been to have this bright light, this pure soul, this Warrior Priestess; to be the one to shed light upon the darkness that threatened to consume his family. She truly had been their saving grace. She had brought to him the knowledge of how to stop a terrible war; given him the insight to take the steps that had brought him to where he was today. And still she would do more for his family.

She would set his youngest boy free from a prison of wronged love, she would bring trust and friendship to him when so many others would cast him aside because of what he was, and she would stand by his side through everything he faced even knowing that he had made a terrible promise out of duty and responsibility that would steal him from her. But he knew that she would not stop there; his little priestess, his daughter, his Kagome. Her light could shine brighter still. There was still so much more that she would accomplish.

"Goodbye, Kagome." Toga reached out and gathered the little miko in his arms, holding her tightly as though he could give to her the strength she would need to face what came next. When he pulled back from her, he could see the crystal waters that flowed from her eyes. He brought his hand up to brush them away. "We will meet again, that is a promise."

Kagome tried to bring a smile to her lips, but it was weak at best. It hurt so much to be leaving him now. Could she really face parting with him yet again? But would that help to ease at all the pain that the time would come where there could be no more meetings between them.

_- And if you have to leave, I wish that you would just leave. -_

She turned from him then, unable to stand the thought of loosing him again, and made her way over to the pup that had lifted himself up with his front paws to gaze down curiously into the depths of the well as she had done only moments before.

"Sesshomaru," she called his name gently, smiling gently when his ears perked up and he hopped down from his perch to make his way over to her. She leaned down to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I have to leave you now," she whispered into his ear. "Don't forget me, ok?"

The pup whimpered slightly in response to the saddened quality of the girl's voice. He nudged her cheek gently with his nose to sooth her, and was pleased when he heard her giggle lightly. He really did like the sound of her laughter; so, to tell her that, he let his tongue to sweep out to give her a quick lick of affection. The girl giggled once more and pulled away from him with a bright smile on her face.

"You be good now," she told him with a wink as she stood, before turning once again to face Toga. "Thank you for all that you have done for me," she said to him quietly. "For letting me have this time, for giving me such a gift as you have, and for just being you." She smiled gratefully, but when her breath caught with a threatening sob, she quickly swallowed away her pain, covering it with loving cheer. "And don't you be forgetting me either. I'm going to be expecting some explanations when we next meet."

"You need not worry about me forgetting you, my dear," Toga replied with a lopsided grin. "It is not every day that I am blessed with such a vision of loveliness."

"Dirty old man," Kagome grumbled as she turned from him to hide both her smile and her blush.

"That may be so," Toga teased from behind her, "But you still love me."

"Yeah, well, just don't go letting it go to your head," she shot back over her shoulder with a grin. "We wouldn't want it getting any bigger than it already is."

At that, Toga couldn't help but to laugh. It felt so good. Being in his position, there were so very few who would allow themselves to be relaxed and playful in his presence. It was such a treat to be able to play and joke with his little miko. He truly was going to miss her.

"Goodbye, Kagome," he said to her again.

"Goodbye, Toga," she whispered softly.

And then she took hold of the edge of the well and pulled herself over into the awaiting portal.

TTTTTTTTTT

When the magic of the portal had cleared and Kagome found herself on solid ground again, she allowed herself a moment to breathe in a deep, calming breath and to let it out again slowly as she prepared herself for what was coming. When she had finished, she steeled her resolve, stepped forward to take hold of one of the many vines that hung down from between the stones of the old well, and began pulling herself upwards.

She had just reached the top of the well, when a shrieking voice calling out from nearby nearly startled her so badly she nearly lost her grip on the vines she was holding.

"My Lady, my Lady, You've returned!"

Kagome took a moment to make sure she had a firm hold on the edge of the well before she sought out the source of the voice. She turned to see a short, green, lumpy form running in her direction and waving his hands in the air wildly.

"Jaken?" she asked doubtfully.

"Of course it is I, Lady Kagome! This Jaken has been waiting faithfully for your return and is very pleased to see that you have graced us with your presence a full day in advance of your intended return!"

"That's…great…"

"Shall we depart, Lady Kagome? My Lord will be most pleased to hear of your return."

"Sure…"

"Wonderful!" The little imp beamed. "You just leave everything to me, my Lady. Ah-Un! Ah-Un! Oh, where are you, you stupid beast? Ah-Un!"

As Jaken crocked out his bellows for the dragon, Kagome hardly heard any of it. She was too busy trying to figure out what dimension she had ended up in, because last she checked, the little toad Jaken only groveled at Sesshomaru's feet. And though she was pretty certain that the Lord he had spoken of was the Inu Lord himself, she was totally lost as to why he was referring to her as Lady Kagome or why he would think that Sesshomaru would be pleased to see her.

Kagome was brought out of her thoughts though when she felt a gentle nudge of a large nose against her arm. She looked up, only to find that Ah-Un had made his way over to her and that Ah was saying hello in his gentle way. She smiled brightly and gave the dragon a pat on the nose.

"Good to see you again, Ah," she told him. "You too, Un," she added when he grunted in protest.

Un huffed a little in a show of mock hurt, but that didn't last very long when his body began rumbling with choppy growls of laughter coming from Ah. Un turned to his twin to find out what was so funny, but he just winked at him and told him that he would explain later yet another reason why that little runt of a toad was so bloody stupid. Un growled slightly in protest, but the little miko beginning to climb onto his back cut him off, and he leaned down to help her into his fitted saddle.

Once she was seated, Jaken began scrambling up the leg of the pack beast to secure himself for the rid home. He cursed at the dragon for all he was worth as his little hands fumbled to gain grip on the scaly hide of the beast. Traveling with his master was far better than having to rely on this stupid animal, not to mention more comfortable what with all that soft, silky fur to hold on to.

With new distain for this particular brand of travel than before, the little imp brought his staff down heavily on the back of the beast as he gave his order. "Back to the castle you stupid best," he demanded with authority.

Ah-Un, however, never did take orders from the stupid toad. Though the idiot often believed it was so, the dragon had his own agenda to care for, and it did not include taking orders from a loud, obnoxious imp. So, with a low rumble of displeasure shaking through his chest, Ah-Un pushed off from the ground strongly, sending the imp tumbling from his unsteady perch upon his back.

Jaken screeched out in fear and anger, his little hands grasping frantically for something to hold on to as he tumbled towards the ground. He was lucky to catch one of the dragon's legs as he fell, saving himself, but not escaping the burn of demonic fires that covered the beast's legs as he took to the skies. He squawked in pain and threw himself upwards to gain the dragon's back. Once there, he found a more secure hold on the dragon, crouched down in a defeated ball, all the while grumbling his displeasure as his green skin still smoked from the flames.

Kagome chuckled softly at the whole scene. She supposed that she felt a small amount of pity for the imp, but then again, he really had been a real ass to her in the past and he did deserve some sort of punishment for his cruel words to the dragon. But though the squabble between the two youkai was serving as a distraction from her troubled thoughts, it still wasn't enough to break her away from them completely.

The rest of the trip passed mostly in silence. After having been taught his lesson not to anger Ah-Un while in such a precarious position, Jaken had kept mostly to himself. Ah-Un was concentrating on bring them safely and quickly to their destination. And Kagome had allowed her thoughts to drift

It wasn't really a surprise when she found herself once again drawn to thoughts of Sesshomaru. She supposed it was because of the fact that she was currently with his retainers, but it was more than that, it was deeper than that.

_- 'Cause your presence still lingers here, and it won't leave me alone. -_

But she was brought out of her thoughts when she could feel Ah-Un descending. She looked down to the land below, gasping lightly in awe at the sight that awaited her. The castle was magnificent, a sprawling estate where intricate gardens of precise patterns and delicate weavings of color spreading through the arrays of green that surrounded the main building of towering arches and beautifully carved pillars set against polished stone and covered by the deeply stained wood of its bowing peak. Smaller buildings spread out from the main, each still in immaculate condition and settled between stretches of the beautiful gardens; homes, storage sheds, stables, and several long buildings which she identified as servants' quarters and barracks'.

Surrounding the palace in the front, a great wall of stone rose up. The massive gates of heavy metal were held closed, secured, and guarded by at least two dozen sentries that she could see. And the estate was protected from behind by the water of a deep lake which stretched out for miles, its shimmering waters reflecting back the fading light of the setting sun.

A horn sounded out from somewhere below, and even from so high above, Kagome could see the men stationed at the wall turn towards her. For a brief moment, Kagome felt the beginnings of fear creeping through her, but that moment swiftly passed when she saw that no action was being made, and that the guards were holding their positions.

Ah-Un eased them down to the ground, landing easily in the large courtyard before the main building. Kagome swallowed the nervous lump that had rising up in her throat, and then proceeded into lowering herself carefully from the dragon's back.

"You there!" Jaken too had dismounted the beast, and had begun barking out orders to the first man in uniform he saw. "See to it that a message is sent to Lord Sesshomaru to inform him that Lady Kagome has returned."

The soldier nodded stiffly at the little imp in the affirmative before quickly departing to deliver the message.

"Is my Lady hungry?" Jaken questioned as he turned back to Kagome. "Is there anything that I can get for you?"

"No…" Kagome replied distractedly. "I guess I could use a little time to relax though…maybe a nice bath…"

"Yes, of course, my Lady. I shall bring you to your bedchambers at once. Would you like for me to carry your bag?"

Kagome looked down at the toad curiously before she replied; wondering yet again what had gotten in to him. "No I've got it," she finally replied. "Let's just go."

"As you wish, my Lady."

Jaken bowed stiffly to Kagome before righting himself and turning towards the entrance of the main building. Kagome followed him in a daze, lost in the incredible beauty of the palace as well as in her distracted thoughts. She hardly noticed when Jaken had finally come to a stop, and almost ended up tripping over the little toad before she managed to catch herself.

"You quarters, my Lady," Jaken said with a bow as his hand stretched out to the screen door he had opened for her. "Is there anything else you would ask of me?"

"No, that's alright, Jaken," she dismissed him. "I would like to be alone."

"Very well then," he replied as he lifted out of his bow. "I will leave you to your rest."

And with that, the little imp turned and began waddling his way down the hallway. Kagome stared after him for a moment in dumb shock, but eventually she managed to pull herself together to step into the room she had been lead to. Like everything else she had seen in this place, the room was simply exquisite. Everything was so lavish and rich; from the beautiful gilded mirror that stretched up from the dressing table, to the intricately carved armoires, the over-stuffed pillows scattered in front of a large fireplace of sculpted marble, and the flowing layers of silk that stretched down from the ceiling to crate a canopy to conceal the no doubt extravagant bedding.

She wandered around the room for a time in awe of its beauty, pausing when she came to a light screen at the far side of the room. After a quick look around that told her no one was watching her as she snooped through the room, she shrugged and slid the screen back. The sight that greeted her was astonishing.

The room was filled with potted plants that filled the misty air of the room with the soft aroma of their beautiful blooms. And in the centre of the room, marble steps led up to the giant basin that collected the water bubbling up from a natural spring and flowing down a hand-crafted waterfall.

"Wow," she whispered in awe at the sight.

Again, Kagome took a moment to look around, thinking that this was just too much and that at any moment someone was going to come and drag her off to some dank dungeon solely reserved for humans stupid enough to wander into the domain of the Taiyoukai Sesshomaru; but when it became obvious that no one was coming, Kagome allowed herself a sly smile as she slid the door to the room closed behind her.

Her smile turned to one of pure excitement as she began stripping off her gear and clothes. There was just no way she could let a temptation like this go by unrealized. So, she shed her clothing quickly, grabbed a few bathing items from her pack, and then, with a squeal of excitement, made a dash for the heated waters.

It was just like it had looked like: perfection. The water was a perfect temperature; hot just to the point where she had to wait a moment for her body to adjust but not so hot that she couldn't stand it. She sunk beneath the heated waters with a long sigh of satisfaction, loving every minute of the way the soothing heat seemed to wash away her problems in its gentle caress. She leaned her head back into the water, wetting her hair and letting the water ease away the stiffness in her neck.

She began humming happily to herself as she finally pulled herself away from the soothing warmth to set about her bathing ritual. She washed her hair and skin first, but then gave some reluctant attention to shaving her legs. She had to go about it carefully. The wound she had acquired from the leech, though healing very well, still hurt to touch and still maintained a few places where her removal of the spiny teeth didn't go over very well. But still, soon the wound would heal completely. Not even a scar would remain.

But as she looked upon the wounds of her flesh, Kagome realized that what other wounds she had sustained because of this journey still bleed freely.

_- These wounds won't seem to heal. -_

Why did it hurt so much? She knew him, she knew what he was like, she knew how cold and cruel he could be. So then why did it hurt so much to have discovered a piece of what he was behind that façade of ice and the mask of indifference? And why did it hurt so much to think that he could hate her?

_- This pain is just too real. -_

Why? Why couldn't she just forget? Why couldn't she let herself? Why, when she knew how he would treat her in the future? Why, when she knew that her life had no meaning for him in the time where she was headed?

_- There's just too much that time can not erase. -_

It was wrong. She shouldn't be feeling the things that she was. She shouldn't be thinking the way she was. But she couldn't help it. He was all she could think about. She remembered him so clearly, remembered everything they had been through together.

_- When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears._

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears. -_

No matter what she did, she just couldn't forget. She remembered holding his hand in her own, remembered the promise she had made.

_- I held your hand through all of these years. -_

How could he have forgotten her so easily? How could he deny the time that they shared? How could he, when for her it had been something she would never forget, an experience that had given her such joy? How could he reject her, hater her, try to take her life, when all that she could think about was how he had held her, how she felt wrapped in his arms, how she had longed to feel his touch, how she still wished it could be?

_- You still have all of me. -_

Kagome released a long sigh as she pulled herself out of the heated waters. No matter how much she may wish that things were different, she could not deny what she knew. She tried to force away thoughts of him as she dried herself, fixed her hair into a sloppy bun, and put on a mini-tee and soft flannel shorts; but even when she had finished and had put away her things and made her way back into the bedchamber, still her thoughts lingered on him.

She was exhausted. She didn't want to think anymore. She just wanted to sleep. She pulled back the silk curtains concealing the bed and crawled into it without care. She needed sleep; she needed to escape from all of this, if only for a time. Perhaps in the morning things would be different, perhaps she would be able to see things in a new light.

She sighed again and closed her eyes, but even then she could not escape her torment. She could see his face, the soft gold of his eyes being taken over by hardened and unyielding ice as he looked upon her. She tried not to think about it, but she could not; and it was breaking her heart.

Kagome sobbed quietly to herself, the tears she shed hidden from the world behind the concealment of the bed's canopy. But though her tears would go unseen by any other eyes, that did not make them any less real.

Tears of the secluded.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

That's it! I give up trying to get this all to fit into one chapter. I've been struggling with this for so bloody long that I just don't seem to care anymore. Sigh Well, better late than never I suppose. Though my block stems mostly from what I have to do in the chapter following this one, the true ending to this part of the story where I will be able to use the idea that the song gave to me and end it with 'Tears of the Immortals', but, like I said, I'm tired of struggling with this piece. So, I think I'm just going to force it out and cross my fingers in hope that it goes over alright.

For anyone who didn't know, the song for this chapter (and apparently the next one) is 'My Immortal' by Evanescence.

Well, that's all for tonight.

Later

Shadow

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	19. Tears of the Immortals

Tears of the Immortals

Tears of the Immortals

Somewhere in the dim haze of sleep where dreams would come to bring new life and new hope, she began to feel again. She could feel the strong hands that caressed her body so lovingly, feel the press of hot lips against her skin; feel the way her body heated in response to his touch. She sighed quietly, a sigh of pleasure and want but one equally of sorrow. She knew, she always knew how these dreams would end; but still that had never stopped them from coming to her, from teasing her with what might be if only things had been different.

She knew that when she opened her eyes to the dream that she would see him. Inuyasha: her friend, her love; the one that she had promised to stand beside through everything he faced. She would see him. It would be his hands that touched her so lovingly, and his lips which would give her gentle kisses of the love she had so longed for. It had been this way for so long, ever since she had realized how deeply she cared for the hanyou boy.

_- You used to captivate me by you resonating light, -_

But still, even in her dreams, somewhere in the back of her unconscious mind, even when she felt her heart fill with love and her body flush with desire; she knew that this could never be, that there was always something standing in their way. Kikyo. He had loved her, he loved her still, and Kagome knew that she was something that would always stand between them. The life, the non-life, of the one from whom she had been reincarnated would always be the one thing that would keep her and Inuyasha apart.

_- Now I'm bound by the life you left behind. -_

She couldn't deny it. No matter how much it hurt her to know it; she knew that Inuyasha would follow Kikyo when she asked it of him. When everything was said and done, when Naraku had been destroyed and the jewel returned to her rightful hands, Inuyasha would make good on his promise to Kikyo and he would leave her forever.

But even with this knowledge, she had never abandoned hope. In her heart, she had never accepted that that was how things would end up. And so she had kept dreaming, kept wising that one day he would let his heart feel for her as hers did for him.

Kagome turned slowly to see the one that had touched her so lovingly, but when she finally saw him it was not Inuyasha she was seeing but Sesshomaru.

_-Your face it haunts, my once pleasant dreams. -_

He smiled at her, a smile full of warmth and of love. It made her want to cry. She had never seen him smile, never seen him so open or so loving; and she knew that what she was seeing couldn't possibly be real. There was a part of her that wanted to pull away from him, that wanted to believe that this was no dream but a nightmare. But another part of her held her still, ached to feel the way he was touching her, longed to see the love that shone in his eyes for her and her alone.

And so she stayed, unmoving and lost in confusion and heartache. She watched him lift his hand to brush softly against the side of her face, pushing away her unruly hair. She could feel the heat from his hand on her skin; feel the shivers that coursed through her body from his touch. But when she heard his voice, it was as thought the world itself had come crashing down upon her.

_- Your voice it chased away, all the sanity in me. -_

"I have missed you, my love." He whispered softly to her, his velvety voice thick with passion.

But she knew then, she knew that even in a dream she could never imagine him to say such things, she could never feel what she had when she had heard those words spill from his lips. She knew.

This was no dream.

Kagome gasped and pushed away from him. Her movement was so sudden and so unexpected, that Sesshomaru was left still for a moment in shock. He couldn't understand what had gotten into her. He watched curiously as she scrambled off the bed, in her haste trapping herself in the blankets and tumbling onto the floor in a heap. But even that did not stop her, she was intent to put as much distance between herself and him as she could; and she pulled herself away from the trappings of the blankets quickly and made a bolt for the door.

That was all Sesshomaru could take. He would not let her run from him in such a manner. What had gotten into her? He lifted himself from the bed quickly and made the distance between himself and her in a flash of demon speed, managing to take hold of her arm before she could reach out to open the door.

"Kagome..."

But she cut him off with a shrill scream as she pulled frantically on her arm to be relieved of his hold.

"No! Let me go, Sesshomaru! I didn't do anything to you!"

Kagome gasped when she felt her arm being released and she quickly turned away from him, but there was nowhere for her to go. Sesshomaru was blocking the door and there was no other exits from the room she was in. She sobbed quietly when she realized she was trapped, and whatever strength she had was being stolen from her so quickly she could not take hold of it. Her legs gave out beneath her and she sunk to the floor, her body being taken over by broken sobs of despair.

Why, she kept asking herself. Why was this happening to her? Why wouldn't she ever be free of him? Why would he make her want for what she knew she could never have?

_- These wounds won't seem to heal._

_This pain is just too real. -_

She knew what he had done; she could never forget how he had looked at her then. She could never forget the hatred and loathing she felt when she looked into the ice-covered gold of his eyes. She could never forget that he had tried to take her life.

_- There's just too much that time can not erase. -_

For Sesshomaru though, he had finally come to understand what was happening. The Kagome that was with him now was not the Kagome that was meant to be in this time. She had come from the past, had come to fulfill her destiny. But to see her show such fear of him, to see her in such pain; it filled his heart with sorrow. How could he gain her trust now? How could he make her see when he could not show her, when she was blind of what had happened to change them both? How could he make her understand?

_- When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears._

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears._

_I held your hand through all of these years._

_You still have all of me. -_

Sesshomaru began taking slow, measured steps towards the crouching girl, but he was brought to a halt when she began yelling at him again.

"Don't you come any closer," she screamed as she lifted a shaky finger in his direction. But immediately after that, her eyes widened in shock and horror and her hand came back quickly to cover her face. "And for god's sake put some pants on!"

Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow curiously at the cowering girl before he allowed his sight to travel down to his very naked body. He could hardly remember the last time that the girl had made any attempt to get him _into_ his clothes when they were alone together. Still, if it would help to alleviate the tension from the situation, he decided that dressing appropriately couldn't hurt. So, he turned from her and headed towards one of the large armoires in the room to find some decent apparel.

Kagome, however, wasted no time after Sesshomaru had left the way to the exit open, and the second the path was clear she bolted for the door. She just couldn't sit there and face him; especially not now, not like this, and NOT when he had just been standing in front of her NAKED as though it were a completely natural thing.

She made it to the door of the room in no time, and in seconds had it opened and was dashing out into the hall. Frantically, she swung her head both left and right to try and figure out which direction she had come from, but in her addled mind she couldn't remember clearly the way out. She whined slightly to herself in frustration before finally just picking the hallway to the right and starting down it. She had only made it a few steps when a voice from behind her made her pause.

"Oi, wench! What's with all the screaming? Some of us are trying to sleep, ya know!"

Kagome's breath caught in her throat as she slowly turned to face him. For a moment she almost believed it to good to be true, but when she finally managed to turn completely, she saw that it really was him.

"Inuyasha," she whispered in disbelief.

"Feh, course it's me! Who else were you expecting?"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome ran towards him, throwing her arms around him when she reached him and pulling him tightly against her in relief. Nothing could touch her now; nothing would hurt her so long as Inuyasha was here. He had always kept her safe, and she knew that he always would. She sobbed out her relief and gratitude against his strong chest, not caring that he seemed to stiffen against her in discomfort because she knew that was just him.

By this time, Sesshomaru had finished dressing and had followed Kagome into the hall, but when he got there he found his Kagome in the arms of his brother yet again. It was killing him to see her this way; to know that she would cling to his brother in fear of him, and that the tears she cried were because of him. She was his, his mate, his Kagome, and yet there was nothing he could do to comfort her because she had yet to come to know him. This was not the woman he had promised himself to for life. His Kagome had returned to her time

_- I tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone, -_

But it still hurt to see her like this, in Inuyasha's arms and seeking his comfort. Though he was well accustomed to their friendship and the strong bond they shared, he knew it to be platonic love like that shared between siblings. But this Kagome had yet to understand, and so she clung to Inuyasha in fear and relief.

Inuyasha though, had no idea what was going on. So, as usual, he asked bluntly.

"Yo, Sesshomaru, what the hell'd you do to her?"

"Bite your tongue, half-breed." Sesshomaru replied in a low growl of warning. "I have done nothing. This is not Kagome."

"What are you talking about?" Kagome asked as she finally pulled away from Inuyasha enough to turn slightly and see Sesshomaru. "Of course I'm Kagome."

A long silence filled the hall following her statement, and Kagome got the distinct impression that she was missing something huge. However, she would begin to see just how much she was missing when a tiny voice called out from down the hall.

"Mama?"

Kagome turned towards the little voice in bewilderment. Her sight finally landed on a small youkai, a boy no more than Shippo's age. His hands were covering his eyes as he tried to wipe away the sleep from his vision, but she could see the mane of silver hair that flowed down around him and the soft blue of the crescent moon on his brow. There was no mistaking whose boy this was, and no mistaking the truth that she was not in the time she had assumed. But when the boy finally took his hands away from his face and opened his eyes to look at her, she gasped.

Those eyes, those sweet, innocent eyes, were not pools of molten gold like Sesshomaru's; rather they were seas of endless blue just like hers.

The boy took another step towards her, but before he could reach her, Sesshomaru bent down and gathered the young one into his arms. For a brief moment when Sesshomaru's eyes locked with hers, Kagome could see a deep sadness in them, a longing that spoke in soft whispers to her heart.

_- But though you're still with me, I've been alone. -_

When he looked away again, his sight finally settling on the boy in his arms, Kagome could still feel his sorrow, hear it in his voice. "Your mother is very tired tonight. You may speak with her in the morning."

With that, Sesshomaru turned away and began carrying the boy back down the hallway he had come from. Kagome watched him go for a moment, but something told her that she needed to see this, that she needed to understand what was happening. She took a step away from her safe place beside Inuyasha intending to follow Sesshomaru and the boy, but a strong hand settling on her arm made her pause.

"Kagome," Inuyasha's voice was soft and filled with concern. "Maybe you shouldn't go."

But she couldn't listen, she wouldn't. She lifted her hand to set it gently atop of Inuyasha's and managed a small smile for him. "It's alright," she told him quietly. "I need to do this."

And then she slipped away from him and made her way down the hall after Sesshomaru. She stopped when she came to the open door of the boy's room and peered in curiously. She could hardly believe what she was seeing.

Sesshomaru, the great and powerful Inu Lord, the being so feared by so many and known so well for his cold and ruthless manner, was easing the boy into his bed, tucking him in gently, even pausing to brush away some unruly strands of the boy's hair from his face in a gesture of such love and tenderness that Kagome couldn't help the small, endearing smile that pulled onto her lips.

It was a beautiful sight, and it warmed her heart. But more than that, it made her realize that she was still missing something. She could feel it, feel the wanting in her heart, the emptiness that she could never fill. And she realized that nothing could fill that void; no amount of her soul being returned, no power from a jewel of infinite ability, because it was and emptiness that could only be filled by the presence of another.

_- I'm alone. -_

"Tell me the story, father." The boy's soft, melodic voice pulled her away from her thoughts and back to the touching scene.

"I have already told you once tonight." Sesshomaru replied to the boy in a calm, patient voice. "I will not do so again."

"Please?"

It didn't take any form of deduction for Sesshomaru know where the pup had gotten that kind of innocent begging from. His mother was all too fond of that particular look. He released a short huff of breath in exacerbation. How was he to teach the boy anything when his mother was always giving him everything his heart desired? Why was it that he always had to be the one to deny his son what he wanted?

But even if he had wanted to give in to the boy's request, even if he wanted not only to be able to tell the story for his son but also for the woman standing just outside the room and watching them together; the sounding of an alarm from outside told him that he had no more time to spend with his family.

"Not tonight, Toga." He informed the boy with enough authority as to not be disputed. "Sleep."

The boy sighed quietly in disappointment, but he was not about to argue with his father. So he allowed his eyes to drift closed and settled himself in for sleep. Sesshomaru covered the boy with his blankets, making sure he would be kept warm, before he lifted himself from the bed and made his way out of the room. He closed the door behind him quietly before he turned to Kagome.

For a time he only looked at her, uncertain what he could or should say to her now, but before any words could come to him, he was interrupted by the frantic cry coming from down the hall.

"My Lord!" Jaken called out to Sesshomaru as he ran as fast as his little legs would carry him. Two men in full armor were with him, keeping up with the toad's frantic scrambling with long, determined strides. "My lord!" he screeched again, "It has begun! They launched a night assault on the outer perimeter, taking it in one foul swoop and now they approach the main walls!"

A soft growl of aggravation began building in Sesshomaru chest at the revelation. Why now? Was it possible the wraths knew?

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru began barking out his orders. Just because Kagome would not be here to help them in the fight, that did not make them defenseless against the dark ones. "Go with Jaken to direct the men in the defense." He paused, his eyes finding Kagome's one last time. "Take her with you." He finally added. "I will join you once I have returned from the vault."

With that, he turned and began making his way down the long corridor, pausing only briefly to give a sharp hand gesture to the guards that had accompanied Jaken. They responded immediately to his order, and took up their stations at the door to the boy's room.

"Come on, Kagome," Inuyasha urged from her side, "We've gotta get out there. There's a battle to fight, and I don't plan on misin' out on this one."

"Right," Kagome responded with determination. She didn't know what was going on, but that didn't mean that she was about to let this place go undefended. And now that Inuyasha was at her side once more, she knew that she could stand against anything. "Let's go."

TTTTTTTTTT

When Kagome and Inuyasha finally reached the exit of the main building, they were greeted with the activity of the entire estate. Men and women, both youkai and human, had taken up arms and heading towards their stations at the main gates and along the high walls surrounding the palace; children, too old to be hidden with the elders and the waiting women but too young to be sent into battle, scurried this way and that with armloads of weaponry and important instructions to be delivered to the men on the walls sent from the generals and commanders stationed in the central ring of the compound that Inuyasha was leading her towards.

"I don't care what that damn dog has ordered!" Kagome heard the voice of one of the female commanders. She was in full battle gear, standing tall and proud in the face of the youkai warriors in front of her despite the fact that she was human. "I say that those beasts are going to make a break for the water and try to come up our rears, so you take your garrison and divide its men between the left and right flanks, because we all know what would happen if those creatures manage to worm their way into the grounds. We'll never be able to fight them off once they start disguising themselves as our own men!"

"Yes commander," the youkai responded shortly as he gave a stiff bow to the woman and turned to relay the orders to his men.

"Sango."

Kagome gasped when Inuyasha addressed the woman, but she was struck silent when the commander turned to face them and she saw that the woman who Inuyasha had called Sango, the girl that had been like a sister to her, had aged into a woman in the later years of her life. Her hair, though covered by a helmet of steel, could still be seen spilling down over her shoulders in wisps of white, and her face had been creased by wear and time, leaving deep lines stretching out from her eyes and crossing her brow.

"What are you doing here, Inuyasha?" Sango snapped in irritation, but when her sight settled on Kagome, she allowed her countenance to soften and a small smile pulled onto her lips. "Oh, Kagome, I'm so glad you're here. I thought we were going to have to pull this one off without you." She remained silent for a moment, but when Kagome's reply was noticeably lacking, she continued. "Well, what are you waiting for? We need you on the wall. Slow those wraths down a bit for the men to deal them some damage. Oh," she added as an afterthought, "And tell that mate of yours that I am sick and tired of his imp trying to override my commands."

"Kagome," Inuyasha had taken hold of her arm and stole her away from her shocked staring at the woman before her. "Maybe we should go. They need my sword on the wall. And even if your weapon isn't what it could be, we still could use all the help we can get."

Kagome allowed Inuyasha to pull her away from the bustle of the central guard, but she couldn't quite believe that she had seen what she had. "That was…Sango?" she asked in a daze.

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied. "I guess this all looks pretty strange to you, huh? It's been over thirty years since the defeat of Naraku."

"Thirty years," she whispered in awe, "That long?" But even though it was a shock to hear, Kagome was beginning to see why things seemed so unfamiliar to her. "What about the others?" she asked once her thoughts started processing again, "Miroku and Shippo, Kohaku and Rin…and…Kikyo?"

Inuyasha sighed heavily before replying. "Shippo's fine," he finally relented, "He's around here somewhere, most likely right in the middle of trouble like always, but you don't need to worry 'bout him. Couldn't bring that one down even if a whole army had him backed up against a wall, the little bugger would still find a way to get himself out of it. Kohaku and Rin, well, they got married a while back, had a few brats of their own too. But Kohaku, well, lets just say that he was the first one to discover what the wraths were really capable of. He stopped Miroku just in time to save his sister and the baby she was carrying at the time. The damn monk, he was supposed to die by that stupid curse, not by some bloody wrath that had taken over his body."

"He's…dead?" Kagome choked out.

"Couldn't be helped," Inuyasha replied. "Once the wraths get their hands on you, you're pretty much done for. If you don't die from the wounds, you'd wish you had 'cause they just use you. They could turn you against your own family and you wouldn't even know. The bastards," he spit in distain. "Though I guess we shouldn't have been surprised knowing where the dark things climbed out of."

"What do you mean? Where did they come from?"

But Inuyasha just shook his head. "I don't think I'm supposed to tell you that."

Inuyasha paused and pulled Kagome out of the way of a group of soldiers marching towards some destination with determined steps. She used the time as they waited for them to pass to sort a few things through. By the time Inuyasha urged her forward again, she still had one more question to ask.

"What about Kikyo?"

Inuyasha looked away from her, and Kagome could tell what his answer was going to be even before he gave it. "She…didn't make it," he finally answered. "Now, no more questions. We got a war to fight."

With that, Inuyasha wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist and pushed away from the ground to lift them to the top of the wall.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Dear god," Kagome whispered in horror when she was finally granted the sight of what awaited them beyond the defensive wall.

There were hundreds of them, thousands, too many to count. They were men and youkai, large and small, powerful and not; but still all of them carried the same dark aura, the same blank stares, the same malice and hatred that drove them forwards. They crashed up against the towering walls without care, bodies being broken and trampled upon in the madness. Screams of horror and of madness rose up from out of the approaching army as they were methodically struck down by arrows and pulses of demonic powers from the high walls of the palace, but still that did not stop their approach. Even through the barrage of arrows, of fire and poison, lightning and wind, and bolts of pure energy and scatterings of sacred sutra's, still the masses advanced.

With her enhanced vision, Kagome could see the wrath-like creatures that had bound themselves to each of the beings marching against them. She could see the black bodies, the shadows, that had bonded with the flesh, even see the way they would pull away as their pawns fell to the ground as they left them behind to their deaths and set out again in search of a new victim, their dark bodies floating on the air like dark, angry clouds of destruction.

"WINDSCAR!"

Kagome heard Inuyasha's battle cry, and turned her attention to see the blazing path of fire that struck through the hoard. But still, even though his attack had brought down dozens of the advancing hoard, hundreds more still remained to take up the ranks of those fallen, to continue the advance, to maintain the siege against the defensive walls.

Kagome reached to her shoulder to draw her bow, silently congratulating herself on actually thinking to grab her supplies in the rush to leave the main house. However, she had only just managed to set an arrow and lift her bow to line up a shot when a strong pull of magic had her faltering her grip. She turned back to the main estate, her eyes searching, and her heart clenching in shock and disbelief.

"What is it?" She heard Inuyasha ask as he turned away from the battle to focus on her.

"The…Shikon…"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that thing," Inuyasha replied unconcernedly. "Sesshomaru must have gone to get it for you."

"For me? But…Huh?"

"Don't worry about it." Inuyasha waved her off with his hand as he turned back to look out over the wall. "You'll know what to do when the time comes." His voice dropped into a whisper, that even straining, she could not hear over the cries of the battle all around her. "We all know what we need to do." And then he lifted his sword again and again cleared a burning path through the hoards below.

"Miko," Sesshomaru's voice had Kagome turning to him. She inhaled a sharp breath when she saw the soft, pink glow of the complete Shikon no Tama resting in his outstretched hand. "This is for you, the reason you have been brought to this time."

Kagome gulped nervously, but still she reached her hand forward to accept the jewel from Sesshomaru. Once it was safely in her possession, Sesshomaru turned his attention to Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha…"

"Yeah, yeah," the hanyou cut him off, "I know. Time for me to play fetch and go get Kagome from her time." He brought his sword down in one last powerful sweep, clearing away hundreds of the dark ones below before he finally turned to face Sesshomaru. His eyes locked with his brother's for a moment, a silent message being passed between them before he started speaking again. "You take care of things while I'm gone," he said with an arrogant tossing of his long hair over his shoulder. "If I get word that you let this place go to shit, then you be sure that I'll be coming back to make you pay for it."

"Your threats are hollow, little brother," Sesshomaru responded. "However, you know that this Sesshomaru will always take care of that which is his."

"Feh!" Inuyasha huffed. "Just like the last time?"

"Inuyasha." The warning was clear, but as usually Inuyasha just brushed it off.

"Whatever, don't get your panties in a twist." For a moment Inuyasha seemed to hesitate, but he quickly shrugged it off and continued. "When you see the old man again you be sure to give him my message, or does all that ice impair your memory?"

"This Sesshomaru remembers perfectly your message, and also the promise he has made to you, brother."

"Ah shit, so you remember that do you?" Inuyasha asked as he rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. "And here I thought I had you doped up enough that you wouldn't remember all that. It's just a name, you know."

"No," Sesshomaru replied firmly, "It is not 'just a name'. And he shall wear it proudly, I will see to it, we both will."

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably for a moment, uncertain how to respond to the knowledge that Sesshomaru would name his second son after him; but thankfully for him, he would be saved from having to give a reply.

"Ummm…guys?" Kagome's voice brought both of their attentions to her. "Anyone mind telling me what's going on here?"

"Ah, you know the Ice Prince," Inuyasha laughed nervously, "Can't even let anyone go on a simple mission without issuing all sorts of orders." He scoffed slightly. "Thinks he's king of the world or something." He turned around and crouched down to offer Kagome his back to climb onto. "Get on," he told her over his shoulder. "We got places to be."

Kagome shrugged and did as she was asked, climbing on to her familiar traveling arrangements easily. Inuyasha hiked her up and grabbed her legs firmly so that she wouldn't slip, then turned his attention one last time to Sesshomaru.

"I'll be seein' ya." He told him with a lopsided grin.

"Indeed," Sesshomaru replied slowly.

And with that, Inuyasha turned and broke into a run along the top of the wall. When he had gone as far as he was able, and was away from the main group of the attackers, he pushed off strongly and took himself and Kagome into the air and towards the tops of the nearby trees.

TTTTTTTTTT

When Inuyasha finally set down again, they were in the clearing by the well. He let Kagome slip off of his back, but when he stood again he did so guardedly.

"Inuyasha," Kagome questioned in concern, "Is something the matter?"

"Just stay back a minute," the hanyou ordered, "Somethin' stinks."

Inuyasha walked slowly towards the well, his nose and ears twitching to pick up on any nearby threats and his hand resting tensely on the hilt of Tetsusaiga. But, after a moment of allowing his senses to sweep out over the area and finding nothing, Inuyasha shrugged and turned back casually to Kagome.

"I guess I'm just a bit on edge," he told her. "Let's get you…"

He was cut off by the sound of arrows slicing through the air. Without second thought, Inuyasha dashed forward and wrapped himself around Kagome as he threw them both to the ground. Kagome reacted instantly, connecting with the powers of her amulet and coaxing it into extending its shield around both her and the hanyou.

"Inuyasha," she said to him as she pushed softly against him to get his heavy frame off of her. "It's alright now. My barrier will protect us."

"Yeah," Inuyasha bit out through clenched teeth as he pulled back from her, "But I gotta get you to the well. Those bastards can't be gettin' their hands on the jewel."

"No, Inuyasha!" Kagome cried in desperation. "I'm not leaving you here alone! I can help!"

Her protests were cut off quickly when the hanyou finally managed to pull himself off of her. She gasped in horror when she saw six bloody arrows embedded deeply in his back.

"Inuyasha! You're hurt!"

"Feh," he brushed off her concern with a huff. "This ain't nothin'," he informed her stubbornly. "And I ain't gonna be the one that has to deal with Sesshomaru if he finds out that I let you fight instead of gettin' you through that well."

"You let me deal with that stubborn dog!" She fumed at him. Kagome was not stupid, and she could clearly see that those arrows had done Inuyasha some serious damage, and she could also see the dozens of dark shadows that were converging on them from out of the concealing shelter of the trees. "I'm not going to let you face all of those creatures alone!"

Inuyasha sighed heavily and looked away from the solid conviction burning in his friend's eyes. This was going to hurt her so much more than it did him. "I'm sorry, Kagome," he told her softly when he finally looked back to her, "But this is the way things have to be. I made a promise a long time ago, and the time has come for me to keep it."

"A promise?" Kagome asked in confusion. "What promise?" She gasped suddenly. "No…No! Inuyasha I won't let that happen!"

"Kagome," Inuyasha whispered softly as he stepped forward and took her into his arms, "Listen to your heart, it will always take you down the right path. I could never have asked for a better sister, and I'd do it all again just for the chance to see you smile. Remember the good times. Remember."

_- When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears._

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears._

_I held your hand through all of these years. -_

"No, Inuyasha," she sobbed against him, clinging to him with all her might, trying desperately to hold onto him, to not let him walk this path that he had chosen for himself. "Please," she whispered desperately between broken sobs, "Please don't do this."

But his mind had been made up long ago. He had remained to see that the jewel would be returned into her hands. But now that his mission had been completed, there was only one thing left to do. Inuyasha pulled Kagome closer, taking a firm hold on her as he pulled her from the ground. In one solid jump, he had set them down beside the old well.

"Goodbye, Kagome," he whispered to her gently, ignoring the advancing of the dark figures all around him.

"No, please," she begged him, "Not like this. Don't leave me like this!"

"I've always loved you, Kagome," he told her gently, ignoring her protests. "Now, you be sure to take care of the brother of mine. He needs you more than you know."

And with that, he reached forward and pushed her backwards towards the well. Kagome reached out to him, desperately trying to catch him, to hold on a moment longer, to end this madness. But she couldn't. She was falling with no way to stop it. And the last thing she saw before the magic of the well brought her into its wild dance was the dark forms that had surrounded Inuyasha and the gleaming metal of the blades that they had driven into him the moment her barrier was no longer keeping him from harm.

TTTTTTTTTT

Inuyasha hollered out his pain and fury at the beasts surrounding him. His arms shot out to his sides, tearing through the flesh of those closest to him with his claws and bringing them down. But there were dozens of them, and they had him surrounded.

Still, even though he knew that the blows he had suffered the moment Kagome had disappeared from his sights and the protective enchantment of her barrier receded would be fatal, he swore to himself that those monsters would never have him, would never bend him to their will, would never use him to strike out against those he loved.

Releasing a wild cry, Inuyasha lifted his father's fang above his head and brought it crashing down to the ground at his feet. Power exploded from the fang, ripping through everything that stood in the path of its fury, tearing the dark ones into pieces, condemning them to the fire of their eternal resting place.

But the blast had drained from him all of his strength. His legs gave out beneath him and he sunk back against the aged wood of the well. For a time, he struggled to draw air into his lungs, but soon even that effort would be in vain. With the last shred of strength left in his body, Inuyasha lifted his eyes to look up at the sky. He could see the first rays of the morn seeping through the darkness of the night, and a small, tired smile pulled onto his lips.

"Kikyo," he whispered softly to the heavens, "My love…for…eternity."

_- You still have all of me. -_

And his eyes drifted closed for the last time. He took in one last shaky breath, releasing it in a long sigh as he resigned himself to his fate. He was going home.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Are you sure that this is what you want?" a deep voice questioned.

"It's the way things have to be." replied his female companion. "He made his promise, the jewel has been returned; and now we must honor him for the decision that he has made."

"That doesn't stop it from hurting though, does it?" he asked her.

"No," she sighed, "It doesn't"

The woman leaned onto the man's chest, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Together they stood looking into the clearing and watched as the fiery spirit of the hanyou they had both loved was carried to his rest. They shed their tears for the boy who had lived his life as a hero until his very last breath, tears of pride and of sorrow, tears of loss and of faith.

Tears of the immortals.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

I'm melting! I'm melting! Good lord, it's a good thing I don't have an aversion to water, or I would be nothing but mushy soup right now thanks to all the tears I shed writing this chapter. Perhaps now it is more obvious why I kept blocking this chapter away. It's just so freaking sad! I did sort of cheat myself when writing it though. I had planned on elaborating on the battles more, but since I just wanted to get through to the end I cut them short. Ah well, I'm just glad it's over. The next chapter…well…maybe the one after that…whatever…the mood of this story will lighten again, I promise. But there really was a very good reason for why things had to go the way they have.

Anyways, I'm off for now.

Later

Shadow

Again, for anyone who didn't know, the song for this chapter is 'My Immortal' by Evanescence.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	20. Tears of the Betrayed

Tears of the Betrayed

Tears of the Betrayed

Sunrise: the beginning of a new day, the bringing of light and life to the earth. Stretching its fingers of warming grace over the land; it spoke of promise, of what could be accomplished if only one would reach out for it. The breeze blew softly, carrying with it the dampness of the morning sweetened by the scent of sweet blossoms and new grass. The spring promised a year of prosper, and he was ready for it.

Sesshomaru stood on a small rise, watching the sun climb over the horizon to steal away the shadows of the night, allowing its light to ignite the golden fires in his eyes, fueling his spirit with its eternal flames. But even as he was, surrounded by the wild fires of his restless spirit, he could feel the strong pull of another's will. His hand came up to rest curiously against the hilt of Tenseiga, feeling its pulsing heat course through him as it carried to him its message.

"Kagome…"

For one last, fleeting moment, he allowed his gaze to linger on the rising sun; but he knew that it was not the light of the morn that was filling him with such radiant warmth. He turned away from the sunrise, heading west, back to his domain.

TTTTTTTTTT

Kagome climbed out of the old well in a daze. She couldn't think; she didn't want to. Every time she closed her eyes she would see his face, see the dark ones closing in all around him; see the gleaming metal of their blades as they thrust into him. Inuyasha…

"Why?" she choked out as her legs gave way beneath her and she sunk to the ground. "How could he just…" breaking sobs shook through her body, shaking her to her core. "Inuyasha…"

So lost in her grief, Kagome didn't realize what was happening all around her. From out of the trees of the forest, creatures that had stolen into the shadows upon the braking of the dawn, had begun to creep out again, daring to be in the light if only to come close to that which called to them of such power. Only when they were almost upon her, did Kagome's senses manage to cry out loud enough to her to overcome the roar of her torment.

But even then, even when she knew that they had come for her, come for the jewel in her possession, she could do nothing. He spirit had been weakened so terribly by her loss and heartache that she could not build her barrier around her. And even if she had wanted to, she hadn't the strength to lift her bow against them. Kagome sobbed once more and lowered her head, not bothering to look upon the darkened eyes of the beasts that converged upon her.

Suddenly, a rushing wind cut by her, slicing through the air like a swift blade. Kagome gasped and looked up, only to find that four of the low-level youkai that had been advancing on her had been cut down and that the others were retreating. Someone had stopped them, but who? And were they friend or foe?

"Oi! Wench! What the hell you thinkin' sittin' out here all alone? You're just lucky I happened to be around or you'd of been breakfast for those youkai."

"Inu…" slowly, her head turned towards him, he heart lifting, and the haze of grief lifting from her vision. And then she saw him, and her smile radiated joy and relief. "Inuyasha!" Kagome climbed to her feet in a rush and ran towards him, tears of joy spilling from her eyes. She threw her arms around his shoulders, sobbing out her relief into his chest. "Oh, Inuyasha," she cried, "I thought you had left me forever. I thought…you were…"

She lifted her eyes to gaze into the deep amber of his; smiling through her tears at the confusion she could see mirrored there. But to her it didn't matter, because he was Inuyasha and he was here, and he was alive. "Don't ever leave me again," she whispered quietly before she pulled herself up to him and pressed her lips to his, giving to him all of the passion and love that had burned within her for him for so long.

She felt him stiffen against her, but soon he relaxed again, allowing his arms to come up and wrap around her waist. She sighed quietly in contentment, and began moving her lips against his, coaxing him to join her, to feel with her, to love with her. And he did. Slowly, he began responding to her, pulling her closer, pressing his lips more forcefully against hers and pushing them to part. Kagome whimpered lightly as she opened herself to him, still too lost to believe what was happening, but to caught up in it to stop it.

But then it hit her: the terrible burning of raw power being released in a devastating surge of blind fury. It tore across her senses, ripping through her to shake the very foundations of her being with its furious might. The dark fires consumed her, and she threw her head back and screamed in agony. Her powers surged up from within her, breaking out from behind their barriers of restraint to fight against the onslaught. But still the fires tore through her, stealing her away in their madness.

But somewhere she realized that she knew this power, she had felt the wild fires of it before. She had embraced them then, been one with them, flowed with them in their dance of power.

"Sesshomaru…"

His name left her lips as nothing more than a whisper, but it had been enough. The hot fires pulled away, freeing her from their burning touch.

"Oi, wench!" Inuyasha's voice brought Kagome's attention to him once more. He was lifting himself from the ground several feet away from her, his robe smoking slightly as though it too had been subject to the fires. He locked his eyes onto her, his expression fierce and angry. "You think you can get away with trying to seduce me and then pulling a stunt like that? What's your fucking problem? And what the fuck was Sesshomaru doing here? What's your connection to my brother? Answer me!"

"Your…brother?"

Kagome had shocked into silence. He didn't know her? He didn't even recognize her? But that could mean only one thing. She had fallen back to yet another time, a time when Inuyasha didn't know her, a time even before he had known Kikyo. But there was more than the fact that he did not know her. He had called Sesshomaru his brother. He hadn't spit out the word in distain nor added in his usual gruff addition of 'Half'; Inuyasha had actually called Sesshomaru his brother.

It was almost as though he did not have any hard feelings towards him.

"I'm talking to you, wench!" Inuyasha hollered at her. "I said answer me! If you don't, then you'll be answering to my claws!"

"He…He was here. He saw…"

Kagome turned away from Inuyasha, walking slowly and dazedly in the direction she had felt the tremendous burst of power coming from. She stopped when she saw something gleaming in the grass, reflecting the light of the new day's sun back at her in playful glints of shining metal. She reached down slowly to pick it up, closing her hand around it with tender care.

"I'm sorry," she whispered quietly, not thinking that he could still hear her, but hoping that somehow he could understand. "I never meant for you to find out this way."

"Alright you stupid wench!" Inuyasha yelled from behind Kagome. "I've had enough!" He took a determined step towards her, planning on shaking the answers he wanted out of her if need be. But he was stopped in his tracks and thrown away from the girl when she spun around quickly to face him and a barrier surged up around her with authority. Its magic repelled him away from the girl with such incredible force, that when he finally hit the ground again, he did so with such jarring force that his consciousness was stolen from him.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha," Kagome whispered quietly as she began walking away from him and towards the well once more. "But I'll make it up to you, I promise. Somehow, I'll set this all right again."

And with that, she took hold of the rim of the old well and used it to pull herself down into its depths once more.

TTTTTTTTTT

He was seething, burning with rage and fury. Everything that had come onto his path on this day had fallen at his feet, everything except for the two that had betrayed him so. No, for them there would be no easy death, no painless escape. He would have his vengeance for what was stolen from him, for the wicked game they played, for the lies and the deceit.

Another solider from the army of men had found the courage or lost enough of his mind to step in his path, and without thought, Sesshomaru brought him down. He was just another of the masses, another of the loathsome humans that polluted his land and stole from her beauty, just another fool that could not see the creature against which he had drawn his blade.

It didn't matter, none of it did. They were weak, they broke against him like water, breaking and falling back into their places at his feet. In the fires of his rage, he could scarcely see the light of the sun. Through the red in his vision, there was nothing more than path on which he walked. Anyone and anything which dared to stand in his way would find themselves being cast towards the light.

After all, in time, their light would fade. They would pass on, while he would always remain constant. Such was the life of an immortal. Why bother protecting them from the inevitable? Why care? They were human, and he was youkai. They lived in different worlds with different rules, worlds that were never meant to be crossed. And yet his own father had crossed those lines, stole into the bed of a human bitch, given life to that mongrel that he had the unfortunate distinction as to call, brother. But he would revel in the stain of the whelp's blood upon the blade of his sword, no, not his, that wouldn't be enough. Upon the fang of his own father, the boy would fall.

Why miss them?

Why? A question she had so often made him ask. A question he now knew the answers to. All of her secrets were to protect that half-breed. All that she had done, she had done for him. Her lies betrayed her nature; her humanity. Spawned from a race of such weak creatures, how could he have believed that she could have been any different? She would face his wrath for her deception before the very eyes of the hanyo who held her heart, and when she died, she would take with her the treacherous images that played through his mind. For if she never was given the chance to fall back to this time, then he would not only be taking her life but also her very memory.

Why love them?

He walked down the path he had chosen for himself, down the path of conquest, always pursing the supreme power he sought. But no mater how many he would slay or how much power he could attain, always were his victories lacking. But he knew there would come a day when he could strike back at those which would mock him so, at those who would try to sway him from his path. They would fall, and victory, at last, would be his.

TTTTTTTTTT

As the vibrant colors of the time portal surrounded her, Kagome could not keep her tears at bay. She knew now what had turned him against her, what had hardened his heart so completely to all of her kind, turned him against his own kin. And she knew that it has all been her fault. But she hadn't meant for it to happen this way, she hadn't meant to be the one to cause such pain. But how could she have stopped it? How could she have been the one to change what time had already deemed must be?

Still, knowing that what had been could not have been changed did not stop her tears from falling. She had been the toy of fate, the child of destiny. So much they would set upon her shoulders, so much they would ask for her to do; and still they would test her, force her to walk this path, torment her with the knowledge that if only she had thought to do things differently that she could have changed the lives of so many.

But she hadn't been able to change anything. Everything had gone according to fate's plan, and she had not had a say in the matter. She knew now how the hatred was born, she knew why he had turned his back on her; she knew that it had been his anger and his resentment of the truth that had driven him to do what he had. And it was for this that she shed her tears, for his heart and for hers.

Tears of the betrayed.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

So? How was it? My plan is unfolding at last. I'm hoping that things are finally starting to fall into place, and that you can see why I did some of the things I did. I still have a ways to go in this story, but at least now most of my secrets are out.

Well, I'm off for now.

Later

Shadow

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	21. Tears of the Vengeful

Tears of the Forlorn

Tears of the Vengeful

The land trembled with the aftershock of the blast and the morning sky was ignited with bright fires, though not those of the sun. It signaled an end and a beginning. It was the light that chased away the darkness, consuming it in its magnificent glory, turning the vision of the corrupt into one of beauty, relieving the land of the suffocating hand of destruction and allowing it to feel the warming breath of hope.

Naraku had been destroyed.

But as in many things, what is seen with eyes or known to the senses may not be where in the truth lies. A hard lesson to learn, harder still to accept; and yet, for Sesshomaru, it had been one that had changed his life, given him hope only to have it stolen away, given him joy only to realize the pain of betrayal.

No, things could never be as they seemed. For it was in the intricate weavings of confusion and misunderstanding where fate's toys were held suspended. He knew this now, now after so much had befallen him, now after so many years where he had but one mission, now when he could at last see that things were never in his control.

In blood he had sought power, in anger he had sought revenge. But it had been what he could not see which had led him down the road he had walked upon. Where he had sought power, sought the right to wield his father's fang; he had been denied, rejected by the very weapon he thought to be his birthright. Where he had sought revenge, the way to erase from his mind and his heart the pain of truth; he had been shown humility, had his body torn by battle and left irreparably scared. Where he had felt betrayal, been hardened against those who he had believed would use him for their own gains and hide their purpose behind masks lies and deceit; he knew now that it had been his hand that had caused it, his wrath which had brought her such fear that she could not confide in him, his resentment which had caused her such pain that she would not allow herself to be drawn near to him.

Truth is never as it seems, and always is it hidden behind masks of deceit and the pains of heartache. And so it was now, in more ways than one.

Naraku could never have been brought down so easily. More than that, Sesshomaru knew that she had yet to fulfill her mission. The dark hanyou would return to assault them with more games and deceptions, with more incarnations and wicked plans. It had already been written. And even though he had no knowledge of what had transpired or what lay ahead in the days to come, he knew that there was one who did, and that after 200 years as she had predicted, she had returned to him.

But still there were questions that he would not let go unanswered. So much had been left in fate's hands, and he would no longer allow the lady of chaos to choose his path for him. The past had gone with no way change it, this he understood. But the future had yet to be written, and he would not allow his choices to be taken from him any longer.

Sesshomaru stopped walking and allowed his hand to come up to rest against the hilt of Tenseiga, stilling its voice as his eyes drifted to the direction of the old well. It was a day's journey, perhaps more on foot; a journey that would be made all the more difficult with the miko's uncanny ability to find trouble everywhere she went. And with the half-breed that would so recklessly swing his blade in her defense preoccupied with this time's version of the young miko, the girl would be left to her own devices should any of the many enemies she had acquired during her time here think to strike out against her. That is, of course, unless he were to be the one to go to her rather than allowing her to come to him as he knew she was.

But now was not the right time for them to meet again. Regardless of what time period the girl had returned from, she would still have reservations about meeting him as she knew him now. However, though he knew that any steps taken to lessen the tension that would no doubt ensue would be trifle at best, he also knew that the little miko could not maintain a state of duress or anger whilst in the presence of a child. How fortunate then, that he had recently taken to allowing a young mortal to follow him at her leisure.

Though he had not planned on the girl following him after he had tested Tenseiga's abilities on her, he found that her presence brought him a sense of peace amongst her youthful curiosity, her joyful enthusiasm, and her unfailing devotion. Perhaps it was her innocence or her pure heart that had captivated him so, or perhaps it had been the way she would look at him without fear and with only trust and love in her eyes. But then, perhaps it was because she had been so much like _–her-_ that he could not turn her away.

"Lord Sesshomaru? Is something the matter?"

The imp, however, he had no real understanding why he continued to endure its presence. Certainly the little youkai was loyal and devoted, but it came with a heavy degree of annoyingly persistent squawking and overly elaborated groveling. Not that he was opposed to having creatures of such little power bowing down at his feet, but the toad made such a show of it that he was more tempted to step on it than to acknowledge the fact that it was attempting to gain his attentions.

Speaking of which, a slight shifting of his position put him in perfect line with the toad's prostrated form. Perhaps it was for stress relief that he allowed the imp to follow him, because even he had to admit that it felt rather good to be able to relieve minor annoyances by subjecting the groveling toad to a few precision stone throws or casually placed footfalls.

"Jaken," Sesshomaru used the time where the toad's mouth would be preoccupied with the removing of dirt that had become settled there during its close encounter with the ground to covey his orders. "There shall be no more travel on this day. Prepare camp."

"My Lord?" Now, Jaken usually wasn't one to question his Lord's orders, and for good reasons, but there were times where his curiosity would win out over his common sense. So, once he had managed to pull his face from out of the ground where it had so graciously been planted there by his Lord's will, he voiced his concerns. "But it is still early. Would we not gain more ground on Naraku if we were to keep traveling?" One strongly disproving look from Sesshomaru, however, had Jaken sprawling himself against the ground one more, and praying that his insubordination would not be punished too severely. "Of course, Sesshomaru-sama. Your will is my pleasure. I shall humbly do as my Lord wishes."

Sesshomaru allowed his eyes to close in a long, lazy blink. For a brief moment he wondered if what humans referred to as headaches came to youkai in the form of lumpy, green toads. But he quickly pushed the thought away; it was unproductive and his attentions were required elsewhere.

"Rin," Sesshomaru turned to the young girl riding upon the saddled back of the pack beast, Ah-Un.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked, the light chimes of her youthful voice a welcome relief from the broken croaks of Jaken.

"I will be requiring Ah-Un's services. Remain here with Jaken."

"Of course, Sesshomru-sama!" Rin replied with a jubilant smile that lit her chocolate brown eyes with bright gleams of devotion.

She hurriedly lowered herself from the dragon's back. Grabbing hold of the reins of the beast and using them as a convenient swing, her decent was made in a sparse few seconds; a complement to practice…practice not at all sanctioned by the dragon she rode, but since Ah-Un loved the child dearly, he was more inclined to let her have her fun. Besides, it always did make her smile…even though it also always managed to give the poor dragon sore noses and necks being that the reins would pull down so abruptly and forcefully that the dragon often wondered if the girl kept large stones in her back pockets along with the flowers that she cherished so that she weighed far more than her tiny frame would suggest.

Sesshomaru watched the girl's dismount with apparent disinterest, but being that she had managed to perfect the feat in only a few short weeks and had accomplished it with remarkable displays of determination and agility, Sesshomaru was very pleased with the girl's accomplishment…the fact that the dragon was so inconvenienced by the girl's actions was just icing on the cake. Once she was on the ground and standing before him, her bright eyes lifted so that she could see him clearly from her height disadvantage, Sesshomaru took a moment to survey the girl's condition.

As usual, he found that she was somewhat disheveled. Her hair was tied sloppily on the side of her head and in desperate need of a brush. Her clothes, bought only a few short days ago to replace the last garment she had ruined in her activities, were once again in sore need for a woman's touch. But being that he had no intention of doing such a mundane task and the useless toad had only served to make the girl's apparel even less satisfactory in its last attempt to mend them, Sesshomaru was left with simply replacing her garments at regular intervals. It was troublesome, certainly, but then again it wasn't as though he really had to pay for any of the garments he had given the girl, they were simply gifts from whatever village within his boarders that would offer up their homage to their Lord in gratitude for his protection against the creatures that had plagued so many others in these troubled times. A few pieces of cloth here and there was a very low price indeed.

Of course, the day would come when it was no longer be acceptable for the girl to run and play with such little care as for her state, but that day was not today. So, he was content to bring the girl yet another garment for her to destroy…that is, of course, until the special dress he had commissioned of the finest silk from the youkai cloth spinners that would never be susceptible to the wear the girl would put them though was finished.

Besides, he needed something to do while he waited. And any distraction from the little miko that would soon be sharing his company was welcome.

"Rin," Sesshomaru addressed the girl one last time before parting. "The nearby river collects in a basin at the base of a small fall. Have Jaken heat the waters for you so that you may bathe this evening."

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru," she replied with a distracted drifting of her eyes to a nearby field strewn with lush flowers that thrived in the rich soil off the banks of the nearby river.

Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow in curiosity at the girl's distraction. Usually she would let nothing distract her when he was speaking to her. Out of curiosity, he turned to see what Rin had been looking at. When he saw the field of flowers, he nearly rolled his eyes. What was the girl's preoccupation with flowers? It had to be a human thing, either that or a female thing; neither of which he understood to any extent. But if the delicate blossoms held her in such interest, then perhaps they would serve as a welcome distraction for another as well. If not, then at least Rin would smell like a summer lily for a time before she found yet another mud puddle to frolic in.

"You enjoy the flowers, Rin?" Sesshomaru asked even though he knew the answer.

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama," Rin replied with a light blush after realizing that her Lord had caught her gazing distractedly at the flowers instead of listening to him.

"The oils from fragrant blossoms can be extracted in heated water," Sesshomaru told her. "Perhaps you would gather some for your bath."

"Really?" Rin asked with an excited bounce. "Oh, thank you Sesshomaru-sama!" She beamed. "Rin will gather ever flower that she can so that her bath will smell just like the pretty flowers!"

"Very well, Rin," Sesshomaru said as he gathered the reins of Ah-Un, "But you must wait until Ah-Un returns for your bath."

With that, Sesshomaru turned and began walking away before Rin would allow her curiosity to question him on why she should wait. Her questions were never contradictory to his orders though, they simply were a product of her insatiable curiosity of the world around her. He knew that she would do as she was told and obediently wait for his return. He appreciated that about the girl. Though she had grown considerably in the time that she had spent with him and he could clearly see in her eyes that she understood much more of what was happening around her than her youth and innocence suggested, she was wise as to her position and never once questioned his orders…well, maybe once, but she had only done it to save the life of that blasted toad she had come to care for so much. It had been yet another reason why the young one reminded him so much of his little miko.

A soft growl of aggravation began building in Sesshomaru's chest at that slip. For so long he had managed to sway his thoughts from the miko, focused all of his energy on his chosen path. But after that fateful day when his wrath had been brought back to the surface upon seeing her cling so to that whelp in fear of him, after he had failed to take away her life and her memory, after he had come to the realization that it had been his own doing that had caused such a rift to form between them; he found that less and less could he think of what she had done as a betrayal of his trust, and that more and more he believed that she would never have set out to manipulate him or use him in any way because that just couldn't be her.

Still, he knew that she was not his, had never been meant to be so. He knew that to think of her in such a way was futile and only served to heighten his awareness of how much his hanyou brother had taken from him. From his father, to the legacy that the general had left to the whelp to seal away the restless fires of his demon blood in the boy that could not contain its fury, to the young woman that had opened his eyes to so much of life's hidden beauties despite the short time they had spent together.

But that didn't seem to stop him from seeing her as he once had now that hew knew what he did. And where it had been difficult to endure the sight of the girl standing in such steadfast defense of his brother, he knew that to witness such a thing now while his scent still permeated her aura with such intimate association would be such a blow to his instincts and his pride that it would take all of his restraint not to attempt to rectify such an offense. And there could be no righting of the wrongs committed in the past. What had passed had passed, and now there was only the present and the future to look to. Perhaps though, perhaps the future could be built on second chances.

TTTTTTTTTT

"18…19…20…What the?..."

Kagome grunted slightly as she reached up to retrieve her arrow from the tree it had become embedded in after it had torn through the repulsive serpent demon that had most recently been sent in a wave of brilliant light into the afterlife.

She knew the moment she had crossed over into this time what had happened. She had felt the incredible blast that shook the land for miles surrounding it, felt the dissipation of the dark and malicious aura that had been Naraku. But she knew. She knew that she had felt this blast before, felt the wash of relief after the dark hanyou had fallen; but they had not destroyed Naraku then. He had come back to confront them with more of his wicked plans and manipulations, he had returned to spread his evil further.

But she also knew that with Naraku's presence removed from the land, no matter how temporary the reprieve was; that the dark creatures which had been subverted into his service were free to convey their destruction at will. The first time that Naraku had been brought down had not allowed sufficient time for her or her friends to understand the strength that the hand of darkness controlled, but after Naraku's retreat into the holy barrier of Mt. Hakurei they had come to understand the extent of Naraku's influence upon the land and the creatures inhabiting it.

And now the little miko was being given a first hand look at what had happened outside of her range of knowledge after they had first thought Naraku to be defeated. In his absence, the dark creatures that followed his command had been set free to bring whatever chaos they would. But even without Naraku's influence urging them forward towards his ultimate pursuit, the demons could feel the strong pull of the power that was promised them by the Shikon's light.

They had come for her, come one after the other in a futile attempt to retrieve the sacred jewel from the hands of its guardian. But futile their attempts had been, because Kagome was really not in the mood to be dealing with all this shit.

Finally she would be given the chance to speak to Sesshomaru under circumstances that she understood, in a time where she knew him from. Finally was she to be given the time to ask of him all of the questions that she so desperately needed the answers to. Finally had her mind cleared from the shock and trauma that her previous ventures though time had inflicted on her and she was once again finding her way through the haze and confusion of her troubled thoughts. The time had finally come for her to understand what had happened and be given the insight she needed to understand what she had seen in the reflection of what could be.

But time, of course, would never be easy on her. It would make her fight for her future, make her endure against the terrible trials it had deemed necessary to confront her with. And so, one after another, Kagome had been forced to bring down the demons that advanced on her in pursuit of the great power in her possession.

They had been coming sparingly at first, only a curious few that had been close enough to sense the power of the jewel when she had emerged from the well. But after a time, their numbers had increased and they had begun to come at her in swarms.

In the latest attempt, there had been four. All long, scaly bodies, darkly burning red eyes, and snapping maws of fierce fangs; they had come for her. Kagome had taken out the first and second before they could reach her with a single shot. The third, she had managed to spot just before it had dropped down from the branches of the tree she had turned her back to while defending against the first two. She dashed out of the way of its fall at the same time as stringing another arrow that would be its demise.

But the final one had come at her in an unusual way. Through the long grasses and the concealing shrubs and bushes, it had made its approach in stealth. She hadn't even seen it until it was nearly on top of her. But she had been protected from the assault of the serpent by her barrier which had reacted immediately to the threat, throwing the creature away from her with astonishing force.

Curiously though, the barrier's magic had not been enough to kill the snake. It recovered from the blast quickly, and rose itself from the ground, coiling back in a position ready to strike. Kagome wasted no time in setting another arrow to bring down the snake in a flash of brilliant light and a showering of pure ash. But even as she moved forward and had reached up to retrieve the arrow she had shot, she realized that there had been something disturbingly familiar about this serpent.

"Wonderful!" Kagome exclaimed in annoyance and rage as she watched the torn paper of the Shikigami she had just brought down fall from where she had pinned it to the tree. "That's all I need is for that jealous witch to know that I have the complete Shikon! Could my life get any shittier?! Hey up there!" she called out as she lifted her head to look into the skies. "Mind giving a girl a break down here? And how about a hand at finding that blasted dog?!"

Kagome ground out her frustration through clenched teeth as her attention was brought to the approach of yet another demon.

"I guess it was too much to ask for," she mused angrily to herself as she lifted her bow yet again.

But as the dark form in the sky began to come closer and Kagome could begin to make out the form of the youkai, she realized that this beast was not one of the serpents that had been attacking her. In fact, this beast wasn't hostile at all.

Kagome blushed slightly when she was hit with the realization that she had been a bit hasty in her accusations, managed a weak 'Sorry,' and 'Thank you' to the heavens, and then proceeded to wave her arms excitedly at the approaching youkai.

"Ah-Un!" she called happily to the dragon as he began to descend towards her. "You have no idea how good it is to see you!"

The dragon released a few short, happy, grunts as he landed by the little miko. His heads bent down and both nuzzled the girl affectionately, receiving from her a bought of light giggles as she wrapped her arms around his necks and gave a gentle squeeze.

"Did you miss me?" Kagome asked as she pulled back from the dragon. But she only started giggling again when Un snorted as though in offence while Ah rolled his eyes at his brother before nodding his head. "Hey, wait a minute!" Kagome exclaimed suddenly. "You just understood what I said, didn't you?"

Again, Ah nodded his head, but when he saw the confusion in the young miko, he shifted so that he could reach down to the ground at his feet and pluck a tiny blossom that was growing in the grass. He brought the flower up to the miko, pushing his snout forward slightly to urge her into taking it. Kagome did so curiously, but once the little blossom was in her hand, she began to see what the dragon was trying to tell her.

She smiled gently as she rolled the stem of the little flower between her fingers to make the blossom spin, its vibrant yellow petals to blur together in her vision and the soft fragrance of it to be brought to her nose.

"It's because of Rin, isn't it?" Kagome asked when she finally looked back to the dragon. "She's teaching you to understand human language."

The dragon huffed a little at the miko's misinterpretation of his gesture. Though the young one had been a great help in his coming to understand the human language, his pursuit of attaining such knowledge had stemmed from long before that, from the time when this little miko had first been so kind to him. Still, being that she had been close enough to the truth, and the little one truly had been the one to give him most of his knowledge after he had spent so much time with her, Ah-Un just shrugged his large shoulders and nodded in the affirmative at the miko's presumption.

"Well then," Kagome chirped with enough superficial cheeriness to choke on, "Let's not keep his lordship waiting."

Ah grunted slightly in shock at the miko's bold statement. Her mocking of the Inu Lord's position was obvious, and also an act that he had personally seen rectified with loss of life. However, unlike Ah who was worrying over the miko's sanity to be voicing aloud such statements of disrespect, Un was laughing heartily over the miko's complete lack of fear or hesitations when it came to the over-stuffed dog. Oh, how he had missed this girl!

Kagome smiled brightly when she heard Un's laughter, and gave him a slight wink as she moved around to his side and took hold of his saddle to pull herself onto the back of the dragon.

"Let's go!" she chirped happily once she had seated herself comfortably atop of Ah-Un. And just like that, the dragon pushed off from the ground and took to the skies, flying swiftly to his destination with his precious cargo.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Damn her!"

The woman's voice, hissing with pain and filled with malice, echoed through the darkened room in which she had concealed herself.

"She will pay for what she has done to me," she ground out as her hand clutched against the fresh wound which spilled her blood down her arm to fall in a dark pool on the ground beneath her. "And with the jewel she carries now, there will be no stopping me. Even Naraku would not dare to order me around once I gain possession of two Shikon jewels."

The woman allowed herself to be taken over by a deep, wicked laugh as she thought about the foolish actions of the dark hanyou that had commissioned her into his services once again. He truly believed that he would regain the dark light of the Shikon that he had placed in her possession as easily as he had the last time he 'entrusted' her with the jewel.

But how wrong he was. Naraku could not have foreseen this twist of fate. He could not have predicted that at the moment of his supposed death that the reincarnated miko would suddenly appear carrying yet another of the fabled jewels of power. It didn't matter where the jewel had come from or how the miko had come into its possession. All that mattered was that she be the one to have its power, that she be the one to bring the miko of the Shikon to her long deserving fate.

Even as she tied off the wound inflicted upon her flesh when the miko had shot an arrow through the serpent that had served as her right arm, even though the pain she was experiencing brought tears to form in her eyes; the woman smiled through the pain of her wound and wetness of her tears. For in the tears she shed there would be found no trace of sorrow or regret for what she had done or for what she was planning to do now. The waters that fell from her dark eyes carried only her promise to redeem herself, to take back that which was rightfully hers, to show the guardian of the Shikon that she was not to be taken lightly, not to be dismissed, not to be underestimated.

And for this and for the knowledge that she would soon have everything that had been taken from her, Tsubaki smiled through her tears.

Tears of the vengeful

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A/N: Though I have been trying to make this fic as cannon as possible in regards to the events that have already transpired for the characters, for this time I was forced to make my own interpretation. It is never made clear exactly what point in the anime the movies take place, so I have chosen a time that would be somewhat reasonable given the use of Inuyasha's demonic form and his ability to call forth the Backlash Wave in the movie as well as the presence of both Kagura and Kanna, but which also serves well with the plot that I have written so far in this story. However, there may be a slight discrepancy to what time I have chosen and the course that the anime has taken, but I think that I can give an explanation for that.

The time period in this current chapter (the time of the second movie) is just after Naraku's disappearance where in the anime he would have concealed himself in the holy barrier of Mt. Hakurei and just before the arrival of the Band of Seven (between episodes 81-101). I figured that it wouldn't be too hard to assume that Inuyasha and co. had followed Naraku after his 'escape' and that he would have been sufficiently weakened after his confrontation with both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru for them to have been able to defeat him (or at least believe that they had defeated him). At the end of the second movie, Naraku disappears yet again, so I don't think that it would be too far of a stretch to say that this is the point where he moved to conceal himself behind the mountain's sacred barrier.

If this explanation just doesn't cut it for you, then all I can say is…deal with it ;P

I guess that while I am on the topic of the timeline that is being followed in this story, it is time that I give a better picture of where the time jumps have lead Kagome so far. I know that this story has seemed somewhat chaotic and may be difficult for some of you to follow with all the jumps, but your confusion only helped to make Kagome's confusion all the more understandable. Still, I was asked to give a timeline by one reviewer, and since most of the time jumps have been completed at this point I don't think that's too much to ask. But keep in mind that the times I have chosen were simply nice round numbers for convenience's sake.

500 B.C. – Kagome's first encounter with Toga

600 A.D. – Kagome's second encounter with Toga and Sesshomaru as a pup

1300 A.D. – The year of Inu no Taisho's death and Kagome and Sesshomaru's first journey together

1400 A.D. – Kagome kisses Inuyasha and Sesshomaru discovers the nature of her relationship with his brother

1500 A.D. – Feudal era (normal) with the assumption that Kagome has already spent two years on her journey in search of the jewel at the point of the last episode in the anime…so that would imply that the time in this chapter is somewhere after her first year traveling with Inuyasha.

1530 A.D. – 'Lady' Kagome's time

2000 A.D. – Kagome's rightful time in the future

There is one more time period that I haven't covered yet, but that shall remain my little secret until the time is right -

And lastly, I just wanted to apologize for how long it has taken me to get this chapter out. The holiday season has been sapping most of my time and I haven't been able to write very much. But I'm sure everyone understands how that goes.

Well, I guess that's all for now. Until next time

Shadow

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	22. Tears of the Forlorn

Tears of the Forlorn

Tears of the Forlorn

"Look, master Jaken! There's another one!"

Rin skipped happily through the lush grasses of the field to collect yet another of the fragrant blossoms that she would soon be able to add to her collection. She called out happily to the toad when she had retrieved her prize, telling Jaken again to look and appreciate its beauty, completely heedless of the fact that not only did the toad not care in the slightest about the delicate blossom but that it was physically impossible for him to look at it being that he was currently carrying so many of the flowers that the girl had picked that they completely covered his field of vision.

Still, Rin was not deterred from her mission by the toads lacking (lacking in the way that it was extremely disgruntled and thus not worth heeding) response, and she proceeded to add the newest addition to the leaning tower of Jaken flowers.

"I wonder if this will be enough," she mused aloud to herself as she took in the sight of the hundreds of white blooms being held by the little imp.

Completely ignoring Jaken's loud admonishment that went something along the lines of how he absolutely refused to carry any more flowers, Rin took her time to scan the large field to see if there were any more that she had missed. After all, she had told her Lord that she was going to pick every single one, and she was most happy to comply in the fullest. She sighed when she didn't see any more patches of brilliant white amongst the deep green of the summer grasses.

"I guess this will have to do." But her disappointment of not having any more flowers to pick was quickly replaced with excitement of what she was going to do next. She turned back to the little imp, giving him a radiant, toothy smile even though he could not see, and said to him in a cheerful voice, "Come on, master Jaken! Now we get to make my bath smell all pretty!"

Again, she turned a deaf ear to the disgruntled grumblings of the toad. She had learned long ago that it was only necessary to listen to the toad on occasion. The rest of the time, what he had to say was not something that should be heard by the ears of a young child. Certainly, he would refrain from speaking in such a manner when Lord Sesshomaru was around, but when he wasn't…well, anyways, Rin was a quick learner. Besides, she really did care for Jaken, and she knew that beneath his rough, green, lumpy exterior, that he cared for her as well.

So, with her radiant smile never leaving her lips, Rin turned and began skipping back to their little camp with the reluctant toad in tow. She hadn't made it very far when a familiar tingling sensation began coursing through her body. She stopped mid-skip and lifted her head to the skies. Of course, her abrupt stop caused the flower-blinded Jaken to crash into her from behind, sending them both tumbling to the ground in a tangled heap of limbs and fragrant blossoms.

"You clumsy child!" Jaken croaked out in annoyance as he pulled himself to his feet. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Rin is sorry, master Jaken," the girl replied as she too lifted herself from the ground. She giggled lightly at the sight of the toad decorated with flowers sticking out in every direction from his worn garment and not to mention the two that had somehow managed to wedge themselves into the little toad's left ear. But once she had managed to reign in her laughter at the toad's misfortune, she turned away from him again to lift her head expectantly towards the skies. "Look," she pointed out to the toad as a dark shape began to appear in the distant skies. "Ah-Un is returning."

"Don't be foolish," Jaken chided the girl. "You couldn't possibly be able to tell if that dot up there was that stupid beast."

Rin smiled despite the toad's mistrust. "Rin knows," she informed him quietly, "Rin always knows."

Some nonsense about silly girls or silly humans or something along those lines was completely ignored by Rin. She loved Jaken dearly, but sometimes he was just plain stupid. Did he never notice that she was always the one that knew of their Lord's arrival first? Did he never wonder how, unlike him, she always knew when she could ask of her Sesshomaru whatever question she wanted and when she should keep quiet? The fact was that she just knew. Deep down inside of her, she just knew. She never really understood, and she had never said anything about it, but it was because of these feelings that she would get that she had found her Lord in the first place.

So, knowing it was in fact Ah-Un, she waited for the figure approaching in the skies to come to them. But as he neared, she began feeling something different. It wasn't bad, and it wasn't unfamiliar either, it was just different. Rin scrunched her face up, her lips pursing and her eyebrows drawing together, as she tried to concentrate. The problem was; she really didn't know what she was concentrating on, so her efforts, while determined, were all but futile and she was left to wait until the dragon landed to discover what was different about him.

Imagine her surprise when she discovered that Ah-Un was carrying a passenger, not just a passenger, but someone she had seen before, the young woman who traveled with her Lord's brother, Inuyasha.

"Rin! Stay back!" Jaken croaked loudly as he roughly pushed her behind him.

Rin stumbled back from the toad as she tried to keep her balance, but her little legs couldn't keep up with her backwards momentum and she ended up tumbling to the ground and landing in the spilled heap of flowers. Curiously, she picked up one of the delicate blossoms and brought it closer for inspection. Her eyes widened in shock and excitement when she realized that her flowers would no longer only be appreciated by her, and a sly smile began working its way onto her lips as her eyes traveled back to the young woman riding Ah-Un and she realized why. She may be young, but she saw far more than anyone ever gave her credit for.

"Wretched human!" Jaken's croaking bellow at the young woman brought Rin's attention to the toad. He was clearly agitated, his little body shaking with (most likely fear being that the young woman was a miko, but Rin thought she should give the toad the benefit of the doubt) rage, and he was swinging his staff wildly at the woman with his threat obvious. "How dare you think yourself worthy enough to make use of Lord Sesshomaru's pack beast?"

"You stupid little toad," Kagome ground out through clenched teeth as she slowly lowered herself from the back of the dragon. "You think that you are in any position to tell me of my worth? I will have you know that not only am I fully capable of obliterating your disrespectful hide, but also that given the mood I am in right now I would be very pressed not to if you continue to show me such insolence."

Jaken's beak dropped open in disbelief at the girl's statement. In his past encounters with the miko she had been nothing but a scared little girl who had just barely managed to hold onto her bow. The woman standing before him now though, she was down right scary. She stood proud and strong not with weak posture or with any sign of backing down as she had done in the past. And Jaken was all but certain she would make good on her threat. In fact, if he didn't know any better, he would have sworn that she sounded suspiciously like his Lord as she had made her statement.

"Master Jaken?"

Rin's sweet voice pulled both miko's and youkai's attention to her.

"Stupid child!" Jaken yelled at her. "I told you to stay back!"

That comment though, had angered Kagome to the point where she was forced to do something about it. It was one thing for the idiotic beast to be spouting his mouth off to her, but Rin was just a child. Besides, he had been stupid enough to turn his attention away from her, and that kind of lacking attention deserved rectifying. So, using her bow as a convenient club, Kagome bashed it on the top of the toad's ugly, green head.

"Don't you EVER call her that again!" Kagome yelled at the toad as he sunk to the ground, groaning out his pain and humility.

Kagome allowed her anger to be released in a loud huff in the toad's direction; then she turned to Rin, a bright smile taking over her features. "Hiya, Rin," she greeted cheerily. "It's good to see you again."

Rin smiled in return at the young miko, but she quickly lowered her eyes and a light blush appeared on her cheeks. "Rin is sorry," she said quietly, "But she does not know the pretty Lady's name."

"Oh that's alright, Rin," Kagome soothed. "I guess I forgot that we haven't been formally introduced." She stepped over to the girl and kneeled down in front of her so that they would be the same height. When Rin looked up again to her, Kagome gave her a warm smile and proceeded with her introduction. "My name is Kagome. And me and you, kid, we're going to be good friends."

"Really?"

"Sure thing," Kagome replied to the girl with a wink. "Know why?"

Rin shook her head, but didn't let her brightened eyes to leave the face of her new friend. Kagome giggled a bit at the girl before she reached out and ruffled her already messy hair.

"Because you and me, we share something in common," she told her. "Do you feel it?" Kagome asked as she gestured slightly to her right.

Rin's eyes widened in surprise when she realized what Kagome was talking about; her Lord was returning, but she had never known anyone that could tell such things except for Lord Sesshomaru himself.

Kagome saw the understanding in the eyes of the girl and she smiled anew, but she quickly brought her finger to her lips to imply secrecy. She laughed happily when Rin's mouth worked itself into a silent 'O' before she nodded, happy to keep a secret with her new friend.

"So, tell me, Rin," Kagome asked as she moved to seat herself on the ground by the girl, "What have you been up to?"

"Rin and Jaken were picking flowers!" Rin explained happily as she reached down and brought a bunch of the fallen blossoms up for Kagome to inspect.

"They are very pretty, Rin," Kagome paused to shoot a menacing glare at Jaken for his unwanted input, smiled when he wisely shut his mouth then turned back to Rin, "But why so many?"

"They are for Rin's bath. Lord Sesshomaru told Rin that the flowers would make the water smell pretty for Rin and her new friend."

Kagome's right eyes twitched involuntarily at the thought that that damn dog was trying to tell her something. "He said that, did he?"

"Well, not really," Rin amended. "He said that I should gather the flowers for my bath, but that I had to wait for Ah-Un to return. But Rin knows why now! He wanted for Kagome to join Rin!"

'Smart kid,' Kagome thought distantly, but since she was far too aggravated to be properly proud of the child's deductive abilities, she settled on getting back at Sesshomaru with a proper display of ill-respect.

"Yo, toad," she called out to Jaken. "What's the big dog up to anyways?"

"You insolent wench!" Jaken may have been rightfully frightened by the miko, but that wasn't about to stop him from defending his Lord's honor. "You have no right to be addressing Lord Sesshomaru with such disrespect!" His hands tightened around his wizard's staff. "I will personally see to it that you pay for your…"

Jaken was cut off in his rant when a large stone came out of nowhere, hitting him in the head and knocking him to the ground unconscious.

"Well, well," Kagome drawled as she slowly turned to face Sesshomaru, "How nice of you to finally join us."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes angrily at the miko. He had been looking forward to seeing her…why?

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin's happy greeting turned his attention to the child, causing his expression to soften ever so slightly. "Rin has gathered all of the flowers just like she said she would!" the girl beamed with pride to her Lord.

"Very well, Rin," Sesshomaru replied. His voice was slightly more clipped than it usually was when speaking to the girl, but her insight had managed to produce a rather awkward situation for him that was not at all appreciated. Still, being that she hadn't really done anything wrong (though he did make a mental note to watch just what he said to the deceptively knowledgeable youth in the future) he managed to soften his voice a little as he continued. "Take Jaken and Ah-Un back to camp. I will be along shortly."

"Will Kagome be coming too?"

"Sure I will, Rin," Kagome cut in before Sesshomaru could reply. It earned her another glare from the Ice Prince, but she just smiled and continued. "I wouldn't want to miss out on that bath that you've been working so hard on."

Kagome smiled as she watched Rin coax the only slightly conscious Jaken into helping her gather up the scattered pile of flowers and stuff them into one of Ah-Un saddle bags, but her smile only lingered so long as the girl was within her range of vision. Once the child had made her way into the trees at the outskirts of the clearing, the smile dropped from her lips and her countenance hardened.

"Evil wakes in vengeance," she said as she turned to face Sesshomaru.

"Lies are made equally with words as with silence," he replied.

"What right do you have to judge me? I wouldn't have lied to you if I wasn't afraid of what you would do once you learned the truth!"

"There would have been no need for fear if you had held such trust in me as you were constantly telling me I should have in you."

"So now I'm a hypocrite? Well excuse me, but last time I checked it was you that tried to kill me not the other way around!"

"I distinctly recall your arrows being shot in my direction on more than one occasion, miko."

"Only to protect myself and Inuyasha from your attacks! What would you have me do, sit back and let you kill me?"

"It would have made things easier."

"Easier on who, you? That's all that you think about, isn't it? Why give a damn about others when you have your own stuffed ego to feed!"

"Why should I care, miko? What have I ever gained by trusting another besides the pains of betrayal?"

"I never betrayed you! I went to you even knowing what I did to help you! If anything it was you who betrayed me!"

"You would have me regret my actions when you were the one that so adamantly refused to tell me of any of the events that brought us together?"

"What would you have had me say?"

"Anything would have been better than nothing."

"Well I know that now! But it's not like I got a say in any of this either! I've been just as much the pawn of the fates as you!"

"Apparently that did not stop you from enjoying yourself."

Kagome was shocked into silence, but her disbelief in his words and the venom he had used to lace them in was quickly replaced with righteous fury. Before she had even put any thought into what she was doing, her body reacted, lashing out at him and slapping him hard across the face.

Sesshomaru had seen the blow coming, and with his speed he could have easily caught her hand before she had managed to hit him. But he didn't. He didn't because deep down, he knew that he deserved her wrath.

Kagome turned away from Sesshomaru then, unable to face him any longer. "He…died," she whispered quietly as she tried, unsuccessfully, to hold back her tears. "He was protecting me…making sure that I would be able to return. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't realize that I wasn't in the right time. I just…I needed…" she sighed and shook her head. "I didn't know."

She left him then and began making her way towards the camp the Rin had left to earlier. Sesshomaru watched her go, the thought of stopping her weighed down by the heavy burden of his own guilt. There was nothing more he could do now, nothing more he could say. He had never imagined that her reasons for her actions would have come from such a painful experience, but in his ignorance had allowed his anger to get the better of him and it had caused her to isolate herself even further.

She was bearing so much of this burden, so much that it was breaking her little by little. But she had been wrong when she had accused him of not thinking about anyone else, because it had been his thoughts of her, his memories that he had fallen back to so very often, that had made it hurt so much to think that she was never his to have and which had driven him to seek a way to silence them forever.

And now it was his thoughts of her that made him wish for a way to help lighten her burden, to help to dry her tears. Because he knew it was for her solitude and her loneliness, for her pain and her loss that she shed her tears.

Tears of the forlorn.

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Sooooo tired! looks at the clock Yup, it is entirely too late for me to be up. 1:30 yeesh! But hey! Look! It's another chapter ;)

Well, TTFN. My bed, it calls.

Shadow

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	23. Tears of the Forgiven

Tears of the Forgiven

Tears of the Forgiven

The day had moved on to bring in the lazy afternoon of the late summer. The sun's bright rays shone down upon the land, filtering through the nearby trees in brilliant streamers and glittering in bright flashes of gold and red upon the shifting waters of the river. Over the rapids could be seen the occasional leaping of small fish as they reached up into the world beyond to capture insects that dared to fly too close to the rushing waters. And in the distance, along the muddied banks of the river, a family of otters could be seen sliding playfully down the banks to splash gracefully into the awaiting waters below.

It was here, on this quaint river, alongside a small basin where the water had collected from the turbulent splashing of the small waterfall beyond the rapids, where a young girl danced merrily in anticipation of her day's highlight.

"Isn't it beautiful, master Jaken?" Rin asked as she paused in her dance to toss another of the fragrant blossoms she had collected into the newly heated waters of the basin. She watched raptly as the small flower fluttered down to land softly atop the placid water. "It smells so pretty!" she added joyously in the absence of any productive comments on the toad's behalf. "Rin thinks that Kagome is going to like this very much." Rin giggled happily to herself as she tossed another blossom in the air and paused to watch its decent into the water. "I think that Lord Sesshomaru likes Miss Kagome," she added thoughtfully with a bright smile before she began dancing around the water again.

"You stupid child!" croaked the outraged toad. "Lord Sesshomaru would never lower himself to associate with a disgusting, pathetic mortal!"

"I don't know," Rin mused as she paused in her flower toss to bring her finger to her lips and tap them lightly in contemplation. "It was his idea for Rin to gather the flowers. And didn't he seem happier to you before he left this morning? He only stepped on you once, and you know that's about five times less than usual."

"Gah! You insolent wench! How dare you imply that Lord Sesshomaru would ever…"

Jaken was cut off from his ranting when he was knocked into unconsciousness by a swift blow from Kagome's bow.

"Stupid toad," Kagome grunted at his unconscious form in anger. "I told you not to talk to Rin like that!"

"Kagome!" Rin called happily to her new friend. "Look! Rin has made our bath! It is all ready!"

"I can see that, Rin," Kagome said, a warm smile lifting on her lips as she appreciated the beautiful sight of the small basin strewn with the fragrant blossoms and the wonderful scents that were being given off by the heated water. "It is wonderful. Thank you so much for doing all of this."

"Can we bathe now?" Rin asked with an excited bounce that made Kagome laugh lightly.

"Sure Rin. Just give me a moment to change, alright?"

Rin sighed quietly at the thought of having to wait even longer for her special bath, but as she sighed her head lowered and she caught sight of a bundle of flowers that still needed to be added. So, needless to say, her disappointment was quickly forgotten, and she happily picked up the poor, forgotten blooms and continued dancing around the small basin and throwing the blossoms into the air one by one to watch as they fluttered down to their rest upon the water's surface.

Kagome smiled again at the enthusiasm of the youth, but then set herself to less enjoyable tasks than watching the young girl frolic with her beloved flowers; tasks such as removing the ugly, unconscious toad from their bathing area. After getting in some punting practice on her modified football (oh, how her gym teacher would be so proud to learn that she was practicing while out 'sick' from school), Kagome rummaged through her bag to find her bathing suit. She had just managed to get the fitted fabric in place and was in the process of digging out a couple of towels for herself as well as Rin when she sensed the presence of a powerful youkai approaching.

TTTTTTTTTT

For a time after the miko had left his company, Sesshomaru remained where he was, sorting through his thoughts.

Her words still echoed through his mind, each one ringing with a painful truth.

'He…died.'

She had been witness to Inuyasha's death. But when? How had such a thing befallen the boy that had proved himself so incredibly willful and stubborn, so resilient that even with all of the power that he possessed, and not for lack of trying, that he himself had never been able to fell the boy?

'I just…I needed…'

It had been for her heartache that she had allowed herself to fall into his embrace as she had. She needed to know that he was still with her. She needed to know that what she had seen had not yet come to pass. She needed comfort for the trial she was facing, and the hanyou had been the only one that she could think of to take it from because he had always been the one to give it to her in her past.

'It was you that tried to kill me!'

That was why she had feared him so when they first met. That was why she had refused his advance. She had known all along what he would do and still…

'I went to you even knowing what I did to help you!'

Why? Why would she have done it? Why, if she knew how much he would come to hate her? Could she truly be so loyal that she would do it simply because it had been asked of her by his father? Had she really done it for Inuyasha's sake, or was there something more?

'I trust you, Sesshomaru.'

Once he had had her trust. Once he had had even more than that. But the fates would not be kind to their toys.

'It was you who betrayed me!'

Her heart, her fragile heart that he had so foolishly broken in the past, had been torn once again, and once again it had been him that had caused it. Oh, but he had been such a fool. He hadn't seen it, he couldn't; but though she had kept her secrets from him, though she had hid from him the true nature of their relationship in her time, she had only done it for fear of what he would do to learn the truth.

If only he had known, if only she hadn't held such fear of his actions in the future; if only things had been different.

But he knew that it was futile to think in 'what ifs'. He had told her once before to not dwell upon the happenings of times past or times yet to come because in doing so one would loose the importance of the here and now. The present was all anyone had, and with that they could shape a future not yet known. It was time to start taking some of his own advice.

With that in mind, Sesshomaru turned away from his thoughts of times past and of old regrets, and turned towards a future that had yet to be written. He walked back to the camp that had been made by his vassal and his ward, as well as to the little miko that had finally returned to him after all of the years that had kept them apart.

When he reached the camp though, he was forced to sidestep the airborne body of one unconscious imp. He smirked to himself, certain that it had been the doing of the excitable miko that had caused the toad's disgrace, before he continued towards the river. Truly, he had no further purpose for going to the river besides giving his ward her new garments, but when he arrived at his destination, the sight that greeted him was remarkable…and it had nothing to do with the blossoms decorating the area.

The miko was busying herself with digging through the contents of her great pack, either unaware or unbothered (which he couldn't decide was a good thing or a bad thing) by his approach, and he couldn't help but to stare at the vision she was giving him.

Her long, slender legs, tucked under her crouching form so neatly, were completely bare, leaving him a full view of her creamy skin all the way up to the full curve of her hips. Her arms too were bare, with only a small strap crossing her shoulders on each side. But what was most noticeable, and most inviting, was the way her garment (if one could call the scrap of cloth she was wearing such) dipped so low down her back that it revealed to any who would look the graceful curve of her spine all the way down to the slight impression settled just above her hips. He could see her well developed muscles shifting just beneath her skin, but though they gave her the image of fitness and strength, the soft curving of her shoulders and her narrow waist combined with the luscious curves of her hips also made it clear that she was most definitely a woman.

He saw her tense slightly and pause in her searching through her supplies, but when she stood and turned to face him, Sesshomaru was once again struck into staring at the image she presented. Like the back of the 'garment', the front also dipped dangerously low. But instead of being graced with the sight of her taught muscles that gave away her athletic prowess, he was being shown a most magnificent display of her other assets. To be more specific, two of her other assets; assets which were cradled so loosely yet firmly in the thin layer of the cloth she wore that they lifted to create a deep valley between the tender mounds of flesh but at the same time allowing them to bounce ever so slightly as she moved herself.

"Take a picture," Kagome snapped irritably when she noticed Sesshomaru distraction, "It lasts longer."

"Woman," Sesshomaru bit out, angry more at himself for being caught staring than at the girl who had caught him in the act; but since it served his purpose either way, "Your apparel is indecent."

"This, Sesshomaru," Kagome informed him as she gestured absently over her body to show off her swimwear, "Is courtesy of the 21st century." She settled her hands on her hips and struck a pose before she continued. "So you better take a good look while you can because you won't be seeing anything like this for a very, very long time."

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin's happy greeting turned attention to her as she darted towards her beloved Lord. She came to a skidding stop only a foot from Sesshomaru's legs and lifted her jubilant eyes to look upon him. "Are you going to join Kagome and Rin?"

Leave it to a child to make an awkward moment a million times worse with their innocent suggestions. Mind you, Sesshomaru could have sworn that in that moment he caught a mischievous gleam in the eyes of his ward. But that couldn't be right, could it? She was, after all, only a child. Still, even if her suggestion was made in complete innocence, it was unacceptable…and also managed to insert some seriously scandalous thoughts into the Ice Prince that at that moment was teetering on the edge of a great thaw due to an unforeseen heat wave.

"No." Sesshomaru replied to his ward quickly as he pulled the small bundle he had been carrying from his sash and held it out to the girl. She accepted his gift with and excited bounce, and hugged it to her chest as she thanked her Lord for his generosity. "Do not think on it, Rin," he informed her as he turned to leave, "But do try to keep this one in one piece for more than a day."

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin called after him. "Rin will do her best!"

"What do you have there, Rin?" Kagome asked as she stepped over to the girl to get a better view of her gift.

"Lord Sesshomaru brought Rin a pretty new dress!" She exclaimed happily as she tore through the paper wrapping and unfolded the cloth.

The dress was almost identical to the once she was wearing, but that didn't stop the girl from prancing around with it as though it were the most exquisite thing she had ever seen. Kagome giggled lightly at the child's enthusiasm. The girl's everlasting good mood was infectious, and Kagome was grateful for the feelings of peace and joy the child brought to her.

"Come on, Rin," Kagome said as she turned towards the rock basin of fragrant water, "It's time for our bath."

TTTTTTTTTT

"Rin, would you like me to wash your hair?"

"Would you really?" the girl asked, here eyes wide with excitement.

"Sure thing," Kagome replied happily. "Come over here and sit in front of me."

Rin did as she was told, moving from her spot across from Kagome so that she could sit in front of the elder girl. She giggled happily as she felt Kagome's fingers massaging through the tangles in her hair and lathering up the 'shampoo' that she had brought with her which smelled like exotic fruit. A warm trail of bubbles began trailing down her forehead, and Rin lifted her eyes to watch as it slowly dripped down to settle on the bridge of her nose. Starring at it cross-eyed, she let a little huff of air out to blow on the pile of bubbles, only to giggle gleefully again when they flew off her nose and floated down into the water below.

"Alright, Rin, now lean back and I'll rinse it out."

Kagome helped Rin to lean back into the water, supporting her neck with one hand so that she wouldn't submerge completely while rinsing out the shampoo with her other. As she worked, Rin let her gaze travel up to the sky above her. The afternoon was getting late. The sky had darkened from the pale blue of earlier to a deep indigo, and she knew that soon it would change again to lilac as the sun began its decent. And after that would come the blazing red and gold of the sunset, where the bright fires would fight for what seemed like an eternity against the approach of darkness.

Rin had always loved the sunset. Before, her reasons had been because she knew that no matter how dark the night would become, that the brilliant fires would always return, would always bring back new hope. But now, she loved the sunset all the more, because it had been at sunset when she had first met him.

"Kagome?"

"Yes, Rin?"

"Rin was wondering…how do you know Lord Sesshomaru? Is it because you travel with his brother? But why are you here now if Lord Sesshomaru and his brother don't get along? And why do you talk differently to Lord Sesshomaru than everyone else? And why are you not afraid of him because he's a youkai? Is it because you are a miko? And why can you tell when Lord Sesshomaru is near just like Rin? And why…"

"Rin," Kagome cut her off before she could get any more questions in. She was having a hard enough time keeping track of all of them as it was. She lifted the girl from the water, waited until she was sitting comfortably on her own, and then made her best effort to answer the young one's questions. "I can tell when Sesshomaru is near because I can sense his aura. This is what miko's do, but I am not really a miko because I have never been trained as one. You have this ability as well. If you ever choose to do so, you can study to become a miko; but you do not have to. You can learn how to use your abilities just like I did; through practice and with a little bit of guidance from someone who understands how to control such powers. I could teach you, but I'm afraid that things are not so easy as that right now."

Kagome took a deep breath as she worked through what she was going to say next. She knew that it was going to be difficult for the girl to understand, but she also knew that she had to give it a try because it just wouldn't do for Rin to give away anything that she was learning now to the Kagome that she would meet in the days to come.

"There is something very important that I have to tell you, Rin. It is a secret, of sorts. And I need you to keep that secret for me. Do you think you can do that?"

"Rin can!" she said as she nodded vigorously. "You can trust Rin!"

"Alright, here's my secret. I'm not from this time. I have the special ability to travel to different time periods. While you know me because you have met me once or twice before while I was traveling with Inuyasha; I know you from a time that hasn't happened yet for you. We are going to meet again, but when we do you can not tell me that you remember me from this time. Do you understand?"

"Sooo…" Rin's little face scrunched up in concentration as she tried to understand what Kagome was telling her. "Rin knows Kagome, but Kagome does not want Rin to tell her that when they meet next?" She looked up to Kagome after she had finished, waiting expectantly to see if she had it right.

Kagome smiled gratefully when she realized that Rin's astounding intelligence at her tender age would allow for this discussion to flow much better than she had ever hoped. "Yes, Rin," she confirmed, "That's right. And now, since you know what our secret is, I can tell you how I know Sesshomaru." A light giggle left her as she reached over to the girl and poked her playfully in the ribs. "Would you believe that I knew him when he was just a puppy?"

"A…puppy?"

Kagome took in the girl's confused expression with one of her own. She had thought that Rin would be as excited as she had been when given the mental picture of the big dog as a playful little pup, but Rin seemed as though she didn't even have the slightest comprehension of what she was referring to.

"Rin, do you not know what kind of youkai Sesshomaru is?"

Rin shook her head, her eyes lowering sadly as she responded. "No, Rin does not know what kind of youkai that Lord Sesshomaru is. But…but that's ok," she added with a small, endearing smile, "Rin is happy that he is a youkai, so she doesn't need to see if he does not want to show her."

"Sure you do!" Kagome exclaimed in aggravation over Sesshomaru's obvious lack of attention in this matter. "How can you know him at all if he hasn't shown you who he really is? Well, at least that is something I can help you with now. Come here," she said as she gestured the girl over to herself, "Let me tell you something about the big dog."

When Rin had moved herself close enough, Kagome leaned down to whisper in her ear. As she conveyed her secret to the child, a devilish smile began pulling on her lips. Dog boy was sure in for it this time.

TTTTTTTTTT

After a time, Kagome and Rin pulled themselves from the beautifully fragrant waters of their bath and made their way back to the little camp that had been set up a short distance from the river in the concealing shelter of the trees. The girls chatted happily with each other as they set to work at preparing dinner for themselves. Jaken had, grudgingly and with much grumbling and some rather interesting persuasion techniques from the young miko, made a fire for them; and as Kagome waited for her kettle to boil, she set about the task of detangling Rin's chaotic hair and twisting it into a French braid.

Dinner went by uneventfully, and even Jaken seemed to content himself in eating the offering of food from Kagome in silence. Sesshomaru had yet to return from…well…no one was really certain where he had gone to, but he had yet to return. So that left the two girls and the toad to enjoy each other's company as the day drew to a close.

As time passed and Sesshomaru still had not made his appearance and the annoying toad had finally fallen asleep (with only a slight amount of persuasion), Kagome took to busying herself with mending Rin's previous garment of the rips and tears that she had managed to inflict on the poor piece of cloth. As she worked, Rin too had found a way to busy herself and was soon up to her elbows in Kagome's long hair as she worked at twisting it into a similar braid as she now wore.

Kagome grit her teeth as the girl gave a hard tug on her poor, poor hair, and she set down the garment she had been working on.

"Rin," she said to the girl gently, "I know you're excited that Sesshomaru's returning, but could you maybe leave my hair out of it?"

"Oh! Rin is so sorry, Kagome!" Rin apologized with a heavy blush.

"It's alright, Rin," Kagome soothed. "Just try to control it next time. You can't tense up like that or you won't be able to sense things properly."

"Ok!" Rin chirped happily as she hurriedly put the finishing touches on Kagome's hairdo before her Lord returned. She had just finished with her final knot when Sesshomaru appeared, walking casually into the small clearing of their camp. "Sesshomaru-sama!" she greeted cheerfully and excitedly. "Look at the pretty braid that Rin did for Kagome!"

As Rin waited expectantly for his response, and not to mention and excitedly since she was silently hoping that her Lord would approve of her work because she was just dying to get her hands on his flowing silver tresses; Sesshomaru allowed himself to take in the sight of the…monstrosity…that his young ward had referred to as a braid. The miko's hair had been twisted into so many knots and at such irregular intervals that the mass of hair had been morphed onto something that more resembled an actual rat's nest than her usual waves of raven tresses.

At the look that was sent in his direction from the young miko which clearly dared him to say anything derogatory about her new look, Sesshomaru smirked in amusement. Of course, Rin had taken the shifting of his usually so stoic countenance as a sign that he was pleased with her work, and she beamed in pride and joy. Kagome, however, had interpreted Sesshomaru's smirk for what it really was, and she glowered at him evilly behind the back of the ecstatic child. However, almost immediately, her fierce glare was replaced by a devious smirk as an inspiring idea had come to her.

"Rin," Kagome called out to the bouncing child. "Didn't you have something that you wanted to ask Sesshomaru?"

Rin stopped her gleeful dance immediately, her form stiffening and a light blush appearing on her cheeks. She shuffled her way over to where Sesshomaru stood, her eyes downcast in uncertainty. She shifted nervously for a time, unable to bring her words to the surface; but she would be pulled out of her hesitations when Sesshomaru began speaking.

"Rin, what is it?"

"Well…" she began hesitantly, her blush deepening as she lifted her eyes to meet with the molten gold of her Lord's. "Rin was wondering… sinceRinhasnotseenSesshomru-sama'syoukaiformifhewouldshowittoRin?"

Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow at the girl, first in confusion as he sorted through the child's rushed words and then in shock at what she had asked of him. His eyes shifted from his young ward to the miko for a brief moment, and upon seeing her bright smile, he leveled her with a glare that absolutely promised retribution before he turned back to Rin.

The girl was looking at him intently, her chocolate eyes wide in pleading. She blinked once slowly, then again, faster this time; and beneath her batting lashes he could see the tiny tears that were working up in her. "Please?" she whispered quietly, her bottom lip quivering dangerously.

Sesshomaru nearly growled at the thought that the little miko had been giving his young ward lessons that he really, really had wished she would never learn; but since there was nothing he could do about it now, he kneeled down in front of the child, reaching out to place a finger under her chin to ensure that he could hold her eyes.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Rin?" he asked the girl slowly.

"Yes Sesshomaru-sama," she replied unwaveringly. "It would make Rin very happy."

Sesshomaru nodded shortly to the girl, then stood and turned away from her, walking back in the direction he had come from. Rin watched him go, her lips tuning down sadly for a moment as she thought her request had been denied, but Kagome's voice turned her attention to the young miko.

"Come over here, Rin. This is going to feel very strange for you at first."

"What…"

But Kagome winked at her and smiled brightly. "Just trust me, Rin."

Rin nodded slightly and moved over to Kagome. Enfolding the child into her arms, Kagome allowed her aura to rise up around them in a soothing blanket of pure light to shield the girl against the tremendous burst of wild fires that would soon be tearing across the young one's senses. Then, together, Kagome and Rin looked across the little clearing to Sesshomaru.

He had come to a stop several yards from the girls, and had turned back to face them. When he saw that the miko had wrapped his young ward in her own seal of protection, he allowed his eyes to close in a long, lazy blink as he released a long sigh of aggravation. That miko truly was going to be the death of him. Still, he had already agreed to his ward's request, and though he was certain it had been the miko that had planted the idea in the girl's head, there was nothing to be done about it now.

He carefully began to undo the seals reigning in his power. He had to go about the act delicately. Even with the miko shielding the young one from the more intense sensations of the fire, she was still only a child and thus more vulnerable to the heated madness of the eternal flames. One by one he broke through the barriers containing his immense power in the form he had chosen for himself, and slowly the vision of him that was visible to the world began to shift.

The fires of his spirit engulfed his form, the wild rush of them sending his long hair into a wild dance of power around him; but just as he could feel the pressure under his skin which told him that the change was near and that his power level had almost reached its peak, he forced himself to focus once again, to bring the fires up to wrap around himself, to keep from the innocent eyes of the child watching just a short distance away the sight of the image she so loved being twisted into something unrecognizable.

All around him the fires raged, and within the concealing depth of the demonic flames, he allowed himself to leave behind the façade of his humanoid body and be lifted upwards in the dance to be brought to his true height, to his true form. When the fires had at last calmed, what remained in their place was the great beast that was his true self. The massive white Inu with all of his size and power and presence towered over the girls on the ground below in the clearing, and even the trees of the surrounding wood.

He watched silently, his senses focused and alert to everything around him but most carefully on the reactions of the child being coaxed away from the security of the miko's embrace. Hesitantly at first, but with building courage with every step, Rin began making her way towards him. He lowered his head closer to her, bringing her to a stop as she gazed in awe into the blazing red of his eyes. But as she looked upon him, her awed expression began to shift, and slowly a small, tender smile began to pull on her lips which grew rapidly to encompass her entire face.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama," she breathed in thanks as she inclined her head slightly to him. "Rin is very happy now."

"But you haven't even gotten to the best part!" Kagome exclaimed happily as she came up behind Rin.

The girl turned to the young miko curiously, not understanding what could be better than seeing her lord as he was meant to be in his truest form. Sesshomaru too looked to the little miko for an explanation, his head tilting slightly to the side as he wondered what other inconveniences the miko could put him through. But Kagome just smiled happily, reached down and gathered Rin into her arms, lifting her up and holding her as she allowed her sight to travel back up to the massive Inu before her.

"Sesshomaru-sama," Kagome asked him in her sweetest voice, "Would you kindly lay down so that you're not quite so tall?"

A low, agitated growl began rumbling through Sesshomaru's chest at the miko's request. He just knew that this was going nowhere good. But his displeasured rumblings were cut off when the miko began speaking again.

"Now, now," she chided, "Don't go getting all grouchy." Of course, that comment only managed to make Sesshomaru's rumblings turn into outright growls of warning, but Kagome took no heed and simply smiled anew before continuing.

"Sesshomaru, do you remember me? Do you remember the first time you met me? Do you remember the games and the stories? Do you remember what you learned?"

At this, the thundering growls ripping through Sesshomaru's frame paused. She knew, he realized. She knew what had happened to cause him to mark her. She knew now of the memory that had brought him closer to her, and which had made his decision of claiming her unavoidable. He had remembered her; and now, she remembered him as well.

"Do you know what I'll miss the most from those days?" Kagome asked him. "I'll miss the way you never held anything back. I'll miss the way that you were so free. But I'll miss the most the way you trusted me so completely, the way you would try to comfort me when you could feel my sorrow, and the way that I could feel how much you cared simply by touching you."

Kagome paused to look at the girl held in her arms. She smiled gently when she saw the awe in the girls eyes as she came to the understanding of how much Kagome truly knew of Sesshomaru. "She's not afraid of you, Sesshomaru," she said as her sight traveled again to the youkai towering above her, "But that is not enough. She respects you, looks up to you; but most importantly, she sees you as her father. Do you remember your father? Do you remember how you sought out his protection and comfort, how you looked to him when faced with fear or hesitations? Do you remember what he did? Do you remember how he gave you comfort? Why should it be any different for Rin? Why would you keep her distanced from the security and protection that only you can give her?"

When it still seemed as though Sesshomaru needed some convincing, Kagome's smile brightened as she added her last argument/threat "Come on, you know she's not going to be able to resist asking later if you don't let her do it now. Besides, I could always get out my tennis ball."

Sesshomaru growled lowly in displeasure at the miko. But, unfortunately, he knew she was right, and he could even see Rin's little hands twitching ever so slightly in hardly concealed aspiration. So, after quieting his displeased rumblings and making certain to huff his annoyance and distaste of the whole situation she had created for him at the young miko, he grudgingly lowered his massive frame to the ground.

Kagome wasted no time after Sesshomaru had conceded to her request, and she walked right over to him, stopping only once she reached his foreleg so that she could lift the girl she was carrying to sit on the exquisite fur. At first, Rin was uncertain of what she should do. She didn't think it was right for her to be invading her Lord's space in such a way, and she most certainly didn't want to displease him. But, upon seeing her hesitations, Kagome pulled herself up to sit beside the girl, only acknowledging Sesshomaru's displeased rumblings with light chimes of laughter.

"It's ok, Rin," she soothed the child. "Once," she told her with a wink, "Sesshomaru let me sleep the whole night up here. He doesn't mind…much." Kagome smiled happily at her memories, but since Rin still seemed uncertain she continued to ease away the girl's concerns. "Ask him yourself if you want," she supplied as she gesture upwards, "He can't really talk, but if you concentrated really hard, you can feel what he's saying."

Rin did as Kagome asked, and concentrated on what she was feeling. The familiar tingling sensation began to run through her body, but this time there was something different about it, something that tickled. She lifted her eyes to Kagome to ask her what it all meant, but Kagome just laughed happily as she leaned back on her hands and tilted her head back to look up at Sesshomaru.

"Are you confused, Sesshomaru?" she asked, not bothering to hide the fact that she was terribly amused by such a thing. She laughed again when he snapped his jaws at her in warning before she continued. "I guess I forgot to tell you that Rin has started to come into some miko powers of her own. Pretty good for one so young, don't you think?"

Now that got his attention; but rather than being impressed at his young ward having spiritual powers to control or relieved to finally come to the understanding of why the blasted child always seemed so insightful, he found himself incredibly frustrated with the knowledge that now not only did he have one troublesome miko to deal with but two. Now, if only Rin wasn't settled as she was on his leg, he would have been more than happy to drop the annoying miko to the ground, but since Rin was situated on his person, he was left with very few options for the moment. So, he simply snorted softly at the young miko and lifted his head to the sky to signal her that he was done with this discussion.

Kagome sighed and shook her head at the stubborn youkai before she looked back to Rin. The sight of the little one had her smiling once again as she watched her snuggle into the downy fur she was seated on with a newfound courage and sigh dreamily into Sesshomaru's pelt. But her dreamy sigh was soon followed by a long, drawn-out yawn, and Kagome realized that play time for today had come to an end.

"Come on, Rin," she said as she nudged the girl gently. "I think it's time for bed."

"But…" she started, only to be cut off by Kagome.

"I have a bedtime story for you if you would like to hear it."

At that suggestion, Rin perked up, smiled brightly, and moved closer to Kagome so that she could help her in her decent. After they were both on the ground again, Kagome shooed the girl back to the fire before she turned back to Sesshomaru. For a moment she only looked at him, lost in her own thoughts, but after a time she broke her gaze, lowered her head in a small bow of appreciation, and turned and walked back to the awaiting child. But she had only made it halfway back to the fire when something made her pause and look back to Sesshomaru.

"I think…" she began hesitantly, "I think that maybe you should hear this too."

And with that said, she continued on to her destination.

TTTTTTTTTT

"There was once a handsome Young Prince. He was strong and brave, a warrior with no equal. He feared nothing, but also cherished nothing. He walked a path of supreme conquest, driven by his pursuit for ultimate power.

But the gods looked down upon the Young Prince and saw in him great promise. His strength and his valor pleased the gods and they smiled down upon him, sending him a gift of love. On that day, on the day that the sun and the moon rose together, the Warrior Priestess appeared before the Young Prince and asked of him a question.

'Do you know me?' she asked.

And he did, for the Young Prince had heard the tales in his youth of a woman who was strong and brave, compassionate and kind; and beautiful beyond compare. And the prince knew from the moment she asked a question meant only for him, that she had come from the gods to bring him great tidings.

They journeyed together on a quest of great peril. Fighting against monsters too frightening to even speak about and too dark to even mention their names, the Warrior Priestess and the Young Prince stood side by side. All who stood against the pair were brought down in the face of their enormous power and they achieved a great victory over the dark ones who wished them harm.

They continued on their journey, always searching for that which had brought them together. You see, they were searching for weapon, a weapon of such great and wonderful power that it had been kept as a sacred secret, never known to anyone but for the great being that had crafted it. But when they reached their destination, when at last they believed that their journey had come to its glorious end, the object they were seeking was not there.

It had been lost to time.

Knowing that she must complete the mission asked of her to discover the resting place of the magnificent weapon, the Warrior Priestess was forced to say goodbye to the Young Prince. But before she left, she promised him that one day he would once again see the sun and the moon rising together as one; and that on that day she would return to him.

As she began drifting away, back to whence she had came, she heard the voice of the Young Prince one last time and her heart filled with joy.

'Return to me, my priestess.'

You see, all of their struggles and all of the trials set against them, had brought the two very different beings together, and the Prince had come to care deeply for the Warrior Priestess as she had for him.

But even as her heart filled with joy at the words of the young prince, the Priestess shed tears for the knowledge that the next time they would meet there would be nothing but hatred burning in his eyes for her. And at that time, she couldn't understand why.

Time, however, is a fickle thing, and it is always changing. And along with the changes of time, there also comes changes for those ensnared in its grasp. It was because of time, because of events that none but the fates could control, that the Young Prince would be granted a terrible vision of the Warrior Priestess which would make him believe that she had betrayed him. It filled him with such anger and resentment that his heart became hardened once more, so much so that when next he saw the Warrior Priestess he would lash out at her and attempt to take her life.

But all was not lost for the Young Prince and the Warrior Priestess, because they would be allowed to meet again. After more time had passed and both had gained new understanding of the other's pains, they would meet again. They would be offered a second chance to set right the wrongs of the past, and to set out once again on the mission that had brought them together.

So, on the prophesized day where the sun and the moon rose together, the Young Prince and the Warrior Priestess were reunited. And only time can tell how their fated journey will end."

TTTTTTTTTT

Kagome smiled as she heard Rin's sigh of contentment, and a soft glow spread in her eyes as she watched the young one snuggle down into her bedroll for rest. But while for Rin this day had come to its close, for Kagome there was still one thing left for her to do. She turned away from the sleeping girl and looked across the little camp fire to Sesshomaru.

"Do you remember that story?" she asked him quietly as to not disturb the sleeping child beside her.

"The ending differs now," he replied.

"That's because more has happened since then, and I think that there shall be even more to add in the next few days."

Kagome allowed her body to shift, leaning back on her hands so that she could gaze up at the stars. "Have you noticed the moon?" she asked, her eyes still searching the heavens. "Have you noticed that it is unnaturally full?" Kagome brought her gaze back to Sesshomaru as she waited for him to nod in the affirmative before continuing. "The moon shall remain full for five nights, and on the fifth night time shall stand still. This is the time, I believe, that I will be able to reach through time to take hold of the weapon. I believe that a rift in time will be created, one that will only be opened when time has come to halt."

Kagome bit her bottom lip as she sorted through what she was going to say next. This was difficult for her, more so than she had ever believed it could be, but she had to press on. Slowly she lifted herself from her sitting position and moved around the small fire. She kneeled down next to Sesshomaru when she reached him, fidgeting nervously for a moment before she found the courage to continue.

"Do you remember when I told you that I discovered that I am not affected by shifts in the timeline and that anyone wearing an item from my time is not affected either?" At Sesshomaru nod she continued again. "That time is now. In a few days, my friends and I are going to be confronted by a youkai known as Kaguya. She is power hungry and has deluded herself into the belief that she is a God; but the truth is that she is only a youkai that has stolen the power of the Gods in the form of the Celestial Robe. With it, she invokes the power to bring time to a halt in her selfish desire to become the ruler of Eternal Night."

After her telling, Kagome took a deep breath and stretched her hand out in front of her. Slowly, she opened her fingers to reveal the small, silver bracelet she held. She swallowed down the nervous lump in her throat, and tried furiously to suppress the memory of Sesshomaru's fury when he had dropped the item in the clearing by the well; but still, despite her best efforts, her hand trembled lightly as she held it forward.

"I know…that a lot of time has passed and that many things have changed between us. I know how much it is for me to ask of you, but there is no other way. I can't do this on my own, he has seen to that. So I'm asking you now, now that our secrets have been revealed to each other; that you put aside the conflict that has brought such a rift to form between us, that you help me to complete this mission asked of me by your father, that you trust me as you once had," her voice cracked and dropped into a whisper as she finished sadly, "if only for this time."

"You ask much of me, miko," Sesshomaru informed her as he took in her saddened expression carefully.

"I know," she whispered as her head tilted forward to conceal her troubled eyes.

But Sesshomaru would not allow her to hide her eyes from him, and he brought a finger up under her jaw to lift her chin so that she was looking at him again. Endless seas of sapphire blue met with pools of molten gold, and Sesshomaru smirked slightly at the young woman before he replied to her.

"Are you sure that you would not ask this request of your 'Handsome Young Prince'?"

"Wha…" she stuttered in disbelief for a second before she caught on. "You ass!" she fumed at him as she pulled her hand back and threw the silver bracelet at him. "That's the last time I ever do anything nice for you!"

And with that, Kagome stood in a huff and marched over to her own sleeping bag. But as she slipped between the layers of her blanket, she could not stop the warm smile from spreading across her lips, nor the happy tears that spilled from her eyes.

Tears of the Forgiven.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Awwww!! That was such a cute and fluffy chapter :) Didn't I tell everyone that the mood for this story would lighten again? And what a perfect time for fluff, after all the hustle and bustle of Christmas I'm sure we could all use a happy little distraction (well…maybe not so little…that chapter was just shy of 8,000 words!).

Anyways, I guess that's all for tonight.

Later

Shadow

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	24. Tears of the Desolate

Kagome wakes from her sleep, feeling a strong current of energy in the air

Tears of the Desolate

DANGER!!

She felt it like a shuddering wave of unease. It flowed like thick syrup though her veins, pulsing with fear, burning with anxiety, reaching out with clammy hands to steal the very breath from her lungs. It was darkness and malice, filled with hatred and greed. It was magic, but unlike hers which would bring warmth and comfort in its gentle embrace, this was something else entirely. Black magic: the wicked spells of those who had long ago given over their souls to the darkness.

Kagome's eyes snapped open and she sat up quickly in her sleeping bag. Immediately she swept over the area with her eyes and ears and her miko senses, but nothing in the little camp was disturbed. The fire, now hot ambers where dancing flames had been, still cast a warm glow to spread over the small clearing of the camp. And though the shadows of the night played in their taunting motions beneath the bright glow of the full moon and her gathering of stars, nothing but the gentile breezes of the night broke through the stillness. All around her there was calm, the peace of the night where all things lay sleeping. Still she knew; she knew that there was something dark at work on this night.

It was only when she allowed her senses to stretch beyond the camp did she feel it; the incredible surge of power that she knew could only have come from one source: Sesshomaru. Somewhere, in the woods, beyond what she could see with her eyes or hear with her ears, he was engaging in battle. But this was one battle she knew he should not have to face on his own. Darkness has many forms, some can be seen plainly as hideous visages of their sickening taint, but others hide their corruption behind masks of beauty and images of purity.

Knowing that this battle was not one she could ignore, Kagome pulled herself out of her sleeping bag, hastily pulled on her shoes, and picked up her bow and quiver from her nearby pack. But she could not leave just yet. With a sharp whistle, she managed to rouse Ah-Un from his slumber. He rose immediately with a startled snort, his heads sweeping in both directions to look for threats, before finally turning to face her.

"Ah-Un," Kagome commanded the beast easily, "There's trouble. Protect Rin."

The dragon nodded shortly in understanding and quickly moved himself closer to the sleeping child. Kagome too moved over to the girl, reaching down to rouse her from her slumber with a gentle shake.

"Rin," she called her name softly as the girl slowly opened her sleep-fogged eyes to look at her, "I need to leave for a time, but I don't want you to be afraid." She paused as she reached up to her neck to take hold of her pendant, pulling it off and holding it out to the girl. "Give me your hands." Rin was too sleepy to fully understand what was happening, but she still managed to lift her hands towards the young miko. Kagome grasped the girl's hands gently with her own, clasping the pendant between them.

"Can you feel the way your hands tingle when you hold this amulet?" Rin nodded slowly, and Kagome graced her with an approving smile before she continued in her instructions. "If ever you feel that you are in danger, I want you to hold on to this amulet and focus on the tingling. It will protect you, never loose faith in that. So long as your hands hold onto the pendant and you keep focusing on the tingling, nothing will be able to touch you. Do you understand?"

Again, Rin nodded sleepily to Kagome, but by now she had woken enough to find her voice. "Is something the matter, Kagome?"

"I'm not sure, Rin. But I'm going to find out. I need you to wait here with Jaken and Ah-Un. I'll be back soon."

Rin nodded in understanding to Kagome. She was used to her guardian leaving at unusual times for unknown reasons, but she was very happy that Kagome had taken the time to tell her. She gave her friend a warm and happy smile and promised that she would wait for her return.

With that, Kagome moved back from the girl. She paused only for a moment to make sure that the barrier of the amulet was still holding up with the small amount of power that she had infused into it to surround the child. Once satisfied that her magic would hold the enchantment for a short while, and knowing that Rin would be able to produce the barrier herself so long as she concentrated on her magics as she had been instructed, Kagome turned and set about her last task before leaving the camp.

"Jaken," she stood over the toad's sleeping form, grimacing in disgust at the large snot-bubble that was being breathed in and out from his beak-like nose. Even after she had addressed him, the toad showed no form of movement. "Jaken!" She tried again, louder this time, but still she got no response from the imp. Kagome grunted slightly in aggravation at the blasted toad, but rather than raising her voice any more than necessary, she reached down with her bow and poked it hard into the imp's ribs.

Jaken woke immediately with a yelp. But, rather than confronting her with any insulting words or loud squawking annoyances, he immediately prostrated himself against the ground and proceeded with a now habitual groveling act.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru? How can this Jaken be in service to you, Lord Sesshomaru? You will is my…"

"Jaken," Kagome cut him off. The sight of the toad groveling was almost enough to make her sick.

"Wha…" The little toad stuttered in disbelief as he finally lifted his head from the ground to see who was speaking to him. When he finally realized that it was the human wench that had been so disrespectful to his master earlier in the day, his bulging eyes narrowed in rage and he immediately reached out for his staff in an attempt to show her the proper punishment for such an act.

However, Kagome was much faster than the toad, and she easily stepped on his hand before it could come within reach of his staff. "Listen up, toad." She said to him in a dangerously low hiss of displeasure. "I have to leave to go check on Sesshomaru. You are going to stay here, awake, to keep an eye on Rin. And if I find you sleeping on your guard when I return, you can guarantee that I will report your useless self to Sesshomaru. And don't you think for a second that he would listen to your word over mine, because power holds sway in his eyes, and I have much, much more of it than you do."

With her orders conveyed and her threat made, Kagome released the dazed toad and turned away from the camp, walking into the shadows cast by the trees of the forest. Watching her disappearing form were left one toad youkai, his beakly mouth hanging open in disbelief with lingering traces of fear; a twin-headed dragon, looking on with soft, approving eyes filled with respect and admiration; and one young girl who was seeing a friend, a sister of her kind, a woman that she now saw with the same loving eyes as when she looked upon her Lord. Rin smiled happily to herself, curled into the warm body of the large dragon resting beside her, and allowed her happy thoughts to bring her back to hope-filled dreams.

TTTTTTTTTT

Kagome traveled quickly and purposefully through the thick growth of the forest. With the moon hanging full over the land, its radiant light broke through even in the thickest tangles of limbs; and despite the fact that the light was unnatural, Kagome was grateful for it nonetheless. She found her way to a small path, and took to it quickly, willing her body to move swiftly, but preventing herself from breaking into a run upon the uneven ground so matted with thick roots and hidden burrows.

She stopped suddenly when she realized that Sesshomaru had moved from where last she had felt his presence. He knew, she realized, that she was coming closer; and he had purposely moved towards her. That knowledge though, brought to her no comfort. His power levels were still too high. He was still fighting. But he was not one to seek help in a fight, nor was he one to allow enemies to draw near to those under his protection when he could avoid it.

Something was very wrong.

Before she even realized she had done it, Kagome had secured her bow in her hand and taken off in a sprint towards Sesshomaru. In moments, she was close enough to pick out the other distinct auras beneath the heavy blanket of Sesshomaru's power. She gasped. There were hundreds of them. But there was something more than that, there was something…

"Shit!"

The Shikon: nearly complete and burning with darkness and malice. Naraku's precious stone that he had left behind in yet another petty grasp for power still remained in this time. But who was it that controlled its power now? And why did they hold back from the battle, staying hidden beyond anyone's senses but her own?

There would be no time for contemplation though, because Kagome had only come upon the realization of the purpose behind this attack moments before she was brought to an abrupt stop as one of the great trees of the forest came crashing down in front of her. She skidded against the uneven ground as she tried to stop her momentum, but even as she began to regain her footing, she was forced to throw herself to the ground anyways to avoid being caught in the snapping maws of the tangled wave of serpent youkai that advanced on her.

The impact of the ground only served to drive Kagome's instincts. She rolled reflexively, bringing herself to her knees in only seconds and raising her weapon before her. Her target was reeling back from the empty space of its attack, a matted heap of dark and slithering bodies. They coiled tightly to stop their momentum, snapping their long, muscular bodies back in less than a second to face her. For an instant, Kagome thought she could see the fires of hell burning in the wicked eyes of the beasts, but soon the dark fires were taken over by a radiant light. Her arrow broke through the mass of bodies without pause in its course, tearing through flesh and bone as though it were nothing. The air became filled with the terrible hissing of the beasts as the pure light of Kagome's arrow brought judgment to their demon blood and took from them the curse that they were to the earth, sending them back to the fiery pit of their eternity.

But she had only slain a dozen, perhaps more, and there were hundreds of them. They were everywhere, slipping through the branches of the trees and the shadows of the forest, dropping down from the skies in terrifying blankets of long bodies and fierce fangs, and slithering along the ground in dark waves of shadows broken only by the burning red of their eyes.

Kagome wasted no time in clearing a path across the ground. Two quick shots gave her both a path through the dark bodies as well as the momentary withdrawal of the beasts. She took her chance and headed towards the fallen tree, climbing up onto it to take whatever height advantage it could give her. As soon as she secured her footing, her hand reached back again to her quiver. She set her arrow, taking only a second to train her sight down the length of the wood, and then allowed her powers to bust forth, channeling the pure light shining in her soul to reach out into the world beyond. Once released, her arrow streaked the night sky with a brilliant light, a light that meant death for any of the dark ones left in its path. Two more followed quickly after the first, but no matter how quick she was to release her arrows, there were too many of them.

A low hiss from behind her had Kagome spinning back to face the nearest threat. Her hands tightened against her bow, shooting it out in a strong whip to catch the snake across its jaw. A loud pop was heard, the dislocation of a joint, and the snake hissed out its pain and fury as its eyes came back to rest on the little miko. It coiled its body tightly, readying itself to spring; and just before it launched itself at the miko it opened its jaws fully, snapping the joint back into place as it prepared to sink its fangs into its prey.

Kagome's body shivered with unease as she watch the serpent relocate its own jaw, but despite the repulsion she felt at witnessing such a disgusting display, she readied herself for the beast's attack. When it came for her, she was ready, and again she brought her bow to connect with the beast. This time though, she allowed her powers to surge to the surface, wrapping her hands in its radiant glow and spreading downwards along the length of her bow. When her weapon came in contact with the snake, it cut through the beast as easily as a sharpened blade through butter. One last hiss of fury was released by the youkai before it too was obliterated into nothing but glittering ash.

Suddenly, a rushing wave of pure power cut across her senses. She swore under her breath and dived off the log she had been standing on, taking cover behind it to wait out the blast. All around her she could feel the whipping currents of electricity. Their unbearable heat scorched everything in the path of the incredible blast, from trees and grass, to the very air which smoked as the tiny droplets of water held suspended there were evaporated into mist. All around her, the serpents were screaming with hideous, ear-splitting, hisses as their bodies were torn to shreds in the wake of the blast, and the tattered remains of their flesh rained down upon the broken trees of the forest.

"Sesshomaru!!" Kagome screamed his name as she pulled herself to her feet once the blast had passed by and climbed back onto the fallen tree she had sheltered behind. The tree still smoldered with the residual fire of the attack, but she paid it no heed. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She yelled out in the direction the attack had come from. "You could have killed me!"

Finally, he pulled away from the concealing shadows of the night and approached her, his steps slow and purposeful. The piercing gold of his eyes locked onto her, so hardened with anger that she pulled back slightly in fear.

"Was that not the point, miko?" He asked her, his voice deep and filled with rage. "Does not one attack with the purpose to kill?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Do not play dumb, miko. I have had enough of your lies. Too many times I have allowed you to deceive me, you will not do so again."

"I don't…I don't understand…Sesshomaru?"

Kagome had seen that look in his eyes before; she had felt the dark intent of his aura being focused on her. Her breathing became panicked, and again she stepped back from the enraged youkai. But he would not let her escape this time. He closed the distance between himself and the miko in a flash of demon speed, stopping her dead as the sharp blade of Tokijin came to rest against her neck. Kagome drew in a startled breath, her eyes flying wide in fear and apprehension.

"These are Naraku's beasts. They still stink of his taint. They come to answer the call of the Shikon, miko. The jewel in your possession!"

"The…jewel?" She gasped suddenly. "You think I called them here? Why on earth would I do that?"

"I believe," he responded frigidly as he allowed his arm to shift, dragging his blade across her delicate throat with only enough pressure to pull on her skin, but making his point abundantly clear, "That is my question, miko."

The movement of his arm stopped, bringing the heated blade of the demonic sword to rest once again at Kagome's throat. Sesshomaru allowed his eyes to shift away from the young miko only long enough to draw her attention to his now exposed inner arm before looking back to her. Kagome allowed her sight to travel to where Sesshomaru had directed it, finally seeing the source of this confrontation.

A sacred sutra was bound tightly to his arm, crackling with energy as its bindings attempted to control the awesome power of the youkai. She drew in a startled breath as she allowed her vision to shift down his body, finding several more of the small pieces of parchment sealing away tiny portions of his demonic power as she did so. She recognized some of the symbols used on the paper, but other were a complete mystery to her. Still, the message couldn't have been clearer: there was someone with sacred powers working against them, and whoever it was finding sick pleasure in their attempt to make Sesshomaru believe it had been her that had been the one to strike out at him.

"I didn't do this, Sesshomaru," Kagome tried to reason with him once her voice was under her control again. Her eyes found his once more, her pleas to him being spoken as clearly with her words as with the clarity and conviction shining in the depths of her sapphire eyes. "I have the Shikon, I won't deny that. But the jewel in my possession came from another time. It is full, but it is pure. These creatures follow only the darkness. After Naraku's 'death', we never found his part of the Shikon, but I'm starting to think that I know who has it now."

Slowly, without breaking her eyes away from his, Kagome took a small step back from Sesshomaru and the sword that had been resting in such a precarious position against her. She could see the slight flicker that crossed through his eyes as he debated if he would allow her to pull away or simply kill her where she stood. It was a sight that almost made her balk in terror, but she held herself together and stood firm. Eventually, Sesshomaru allowed the blade he held to lower, but his distrust had still not been silenced.

"Who?" His question was more of a demand, but Kagome was in no position to be picky and she answered him without pause.

"I think it's Tsubaki." She told him. "She is a miko, a dark miko. She uses her powers for evil, and even went so far as to sell her soul for the power she so craves. Naraku learned of her and sought out her aid in bringing Inuyasha and I to our deaths. She is the only being that I know of that Naraku has ever entrusted the jewel to. With it, she placed me under a terrible curse, but somehow I was able to fight against her, to repel her. We fought her, fought against her power, the power of the Shikon she had corrupted to her use, and that of a demon locked away for centuries. The others believed she was dead, but there was something about her death that bothered me, that made me uncertain if that was the case. Naraku took the Shikon from her before we could finish her, and with it he took the demonic spirit that had given her power. It is possible he molded her into another reincarnation, one that is known to no one, one that could protect his assets until he would return."

"Even if what you say true, no youkai, even if formed from hanyou flesh and with the power of the Shikon, can command sacred powers."

"Yeah…" That one had Kagome uncertain as well, but se quickly found another possibility. "I've been controlled by a youkai before, not one of my finest moments, but it happened. Menomaru was able to use my powers as his own. He almost killed Inuyasha with a sacred arrow because of it. Maybe she has some sort of possession abilities. I mean, it's not all that hard to believe if the demon retains the knowledge that Tsubaki had. She was a priestess and would have been well trained to reverse demonic possession, so it wouldn't be all that difficult for her to be the one possessing, right?"

Kagome paused to allow Sesshomaru come to his own conclusions. She knew he would be able to tell that she was speaking the truth as she knew it, but she also knew that he tended to be very stubborn so it might take a while for him to accept her words. So, she let him be, letting her sight travel over his body from one seal of crackling power to the next.

"I can remove those for you, if you'd like," she told him as she gestured to the slips of paper.

Sesshomaru eyed her critically for a moment, but then turned away from her. "They are of no consequence," he informed her as he stepped off the fallen tree and landed gently against the ground, the only apparent signs of his movement the swishing of his silken robes.

Kagome watched after him for a moment, but she soon found herself scrambling down from her perch on the tree to follow him. After all, though most of the hoard had been taken down by Sesshomaru's attack, that didn't mean there weren't any of the snake-beasts left in the woods. And Kagome was not about to get eaten because she couldn't find her nerve to face Sesshomaru now. So, she dismounted the log and jogged slightly to catch up to Sesshomaru. He didn't even acknowledge her when she fell in step beside him, but being that she was simply glad she still had her head, Kagome wasn't about to complain.

However, there was one thing that was bothering her. It nagged at her incessantly, refusing to leave her thoughts alone until she voice the question aloud. So, with a deep breath, and a quick prayer to the gods, she asked Sesshomaru her question.

"Sesshomaru? I was wondering…Why did you know that I was near, but you couldn't detect the other presence that I felt with the dark Shikon?"

Sesshomaru growled lowly in displeasure. He didn't want to answer that question, partially because it would mean having to admit that the damned sutra's that had bound him had hindered his sense of smell, and partially because if he told her why he knew she had been approaching that he would have to explain the fact that he had marked her; and he had no intentions of doing either. It was bad enough that the truth would have to come out when she went back to that lowly whelp, but he would be damned if he would tell her now that the only reason he had done it was because he had been trying to comfort her in the only way he knew how. Let the half-breed think what he would, let the whelp think his miko had lain with him; it would serve the bastard right for everything that he had taken from him.

Kagome stopped walking when she heard the threatening growl coming from the youkai. It suddenly hit her how easily he had pulled away from her again. It wasn't simply his distrust, or his belief that she would use her powers against him. It was the way his eyes had hardened on her, the way she couldn't see past the ice of the golden surfaces. Even earlier she had seen it. Even though he had been somewhat pleasant, even though he had spoken with her, listened to her talk, and even joked with her as he once had; still he was removed, still there were barriers between them.

She saw it again when he stopped and looked back at her, and she quickly averted her eyes.

"You're…never going to trust me again, are you?"

Her words were nothing but soft whispers in the night, but they reached his ears easily. He could hear the sorrow laced in her voice and in the slight trembling of the soft tones she used, and he could see it in the way she refused to meet his gaze. It was fear, he realized. The same fear that had made her beg him not to make her look at him on the mountain in the past gripped her now. She feared what she would see in his eyes, and he knew why.

But he couldn't let her in again. Not now, not now that he knew she could never be his to have. He couldn't allow her to see what she had then, he wouldn't. Though he had agreed to help her, though he had accepted her aid yet again in finding his father's legacy, he would not fall into the traps of the past. He had learned his lesson all too well. And though he knew that she was hurt by his withdrawal, he could not allow the closeness they had once shared. Though she still carried his scent, the bond they had shared had been broken for him for over a century.

He turned away from her, his silence answering her question as easily as any words. As he left her to make her own choice, he could smell the salt of her tears rising on the air. But still he did nothing to stop them. Even though his spirit ached to be the one to dry her tears, his mind had been made up. There was nothing form him down that path but pain, and he had suffered his due for his feelings for the miko in the past.

And so her tears fell, crystal waters filled with deep sorrow and regret. She had known she would have to face the ice, the distrust, the anger, and the resentment; but somehow she had still clung to the hope that things would have been different when she returned. But now there was no more place form wishful thinking, now she was facing the truth and the consequences of her deceptions. Time had finally caught up with her, stealing away the bliss of ignorance.

She tried to tell herself that it didn't matter, that so long as she completed the mission asked of her that things would be right again in the end; but she knew there was no truth in it. The truth was that it broke her heart to think that he would never trust her again, that the vision she had been granted of the future was false and that she would never again see what she had then when she looked into his eyes, that he would never be a part of her life once this mission had come to its end.

Left alone in the dark shadows of the woods, she shed her tears because she had no more words and because she hadn't the strength to hold them at bay.

Tears of the desolate.

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Well…that wasn't supposed to happen. I had this plan for a nice fluffy scene….and before I knew it, it was turning into this….this…I don't even know what this is. Still, I suppose it works well enough. After all, I don't think it would be too realistic if Sesshomaru was suddenly all lovey-dovey with Kagome after everything that has happened. I know it seems a little out of place after the last chapter, especially since it had been titled 'Tears of the Forgiven'; but then again, to forgive and to forget are two entirely different things. And they were never really given a chance to really talk in that chapter to find out where exactly things stand between them….Not like talking seems to get them anywhere productive when I start writing….hehe…Ah well, all's well that ends well I suppose.

Till next time

Shadow

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	25. Tears of the Forgotten

Tears of the Wistful

Tears of the Forgotten

The peaceful blanket of the night covered the world in its gentle embrace. Beneath the bright light of the full moon and the hazy blanket of stars, the breeze blew softly, carrying with it the sweet, soothing scents of the late summer. Grasses green and lush, delicate blooms that spread their colors and captivating scents only to sister moon, and the soft suspension of moisture collected from the heat of the day dampening the air to cool the land in the sleep of night all combined to leave a feeling of peace to settle over the land, a hope for new beginnings only a sunrise away.

But the beauty of the night, and the sweet promises it brought, were all but unnoticed by one who had been left behind in wait.

"Stupid, wretched humans," the little toad spat out angrily as he prodded the glowing ambers of the dying fire with the end of his staff. "The nerve of that blasted miko! Thinking she has the right to order this Jaken! I should be at Lord Sesshomaru's side, helping him in battle, not babysitting this annoying brat!"

Jaken cast a contemptuous glare at the little human child sleeping peacefully at the side of the dragon beast. This was all her fault, he had concluded. Before the girl, his Lord would never have allowed pathetic humans to disgrace his glorious presence. He was the feared and beautiful Sesshomaru, and having such weaknesses as these human wenches was a filthy mar upon the pristine image of the noble Lord.

If it had not been for this girl, with all her bright smiles and joyous laughter and loving heart and gentle touch and giddy enthusiasm and complete selflessness that she would even risk her own short life to save one such as him…Jaken shook his head angrily. How was he to continue brooding properly if even in her sleep the blasted child managed to distract him? He huffed slightly in annoyance. She hadn't really saved him from Naraku's filthy insects; he had just let her believe it to be true. Of course, his strong youkai blood would have fought against the deadly poison without the interference of the human girl. And even if it didn't, he was a youkai, and a strong noble youkai such as himself feared nothing, not even their own death. He owed nothing to the girl. Nothing.

Jaken sighed in frustration. Why was it that he could never stay angry at the child? Why could he not continue to see her as the filthy human that she really was? Why was it he always felt such a strange, gripping pain in his chest wherever he told her such truths as the weakness of her human nature and the short span of her life?

"Stupid child," he cursed as he looked back to the girl. "One of these days, Lord Sesshomaru will tire of your pathetic presence and I will gladly be rid of your annoyance forever. Then things will be as they were meant to be, with no wretched, filthy…"

Jaken's tirade was cut off abruptly when, from out of seemingly nowhere, a large projectile connected with the scaly skin of his head, knocking him to the ground. The toad groaned pathetically as he fumbled to raise himself and face the assailant, but he had only made it to his boney little knees when he saw the majestic form of his beloved Lord standing as a bright light in the darkness of the night, and he quickly prostrated his little body against the ground once again.

"You have returned, Lord Sesshomaru! This Jaken is most pleased that you have…"

"Jaken," Sesshomaru's measured voice cut the toad off from his rant. "Be silent."

The toad swallowed down a nervous lump as he lifted his head slightly to look upon his Lord and master, waiting for his order. However, Sesshomaru had moved away from the groveling imp towards the dying fire. The light of the fire, though only a faint glow in the dark of the night, cast enough luminescence on Sesshomaru for the little imp to catch sight of something that nearly made him faint in shock.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" he squawked, careless of his Lord's previous order for silence, "You're bleeding!"

Sesshomaru turned to the imp quickly, his eyes narrowed dangerously on the annoyingly disobedient toad for pointing out something so obviously none of his concern. His hand shifted to pluck one of the burning sutras from his garments. The sparks of pure power danced across his skin, soothing across the wild fires as they cast their sealing spell. Still, no mere piece of parchment, regardless of the spells infused in it, could restrain the sheer force of his being, and he handled it easily as he tossed the paper at the imp.

The second the sutra came in contact with the imp, he released a shrill scream of anguish. But in only seconds the hideous noise was silenced and the toad fell over on the ground, motionless and unconscious, bound to the power of the seal.

Once the imp had been dealt with, Sesshomaru turned back to the fire. One by one he pulled the burning sutras from his body, allowing them to fall into the glowing ambers where their magics were consumed in the dancing flames that burst forth. But even when he had rid himself of the sutras, he was unsettled. These bindings were strange. He had never seen the symbols on some, nor had he felt the draining effect against his innate senses. It had been for the unusual nature of the sutra's and the undoubtedly sacred energies burning through them that had first led him to believe that the miko had been the one to bind him. Though he had never witnessed the miko to make use of sutras, many of her kind did, and it seemed plausible that her strange origins had produced the unusual markings.

Now though, now he realized that the unknown symbols running through the marks of the sacred bindings were those of the dark arts. This dark miko, Tsubaki, had not only bound him, but attempted to curse him as well. His lips pursed as his jaw set in anger. The witch would meet her end for such an offense. Did she actually believe that her pathetic powers would be able to set a curse upon him? What sort of weak, mindless creature did she take him for?

True, her sacred powers could prove to be minor annoyances and had even managed to block his senses and slow his movements to the point where one of the detestable serpents had managed to mark him with their repulsive fangs, but attempting a dark curse on one of his kind was all but futile. Surely a miko would know this.

When the last of the bindings had been removed, he spared a moment to look at the dark stain discoloring the silk of his garment on his right calf. His lip lifted in resentment. The cowardly beasts could only ever hope to strike him from behind. Even when he had been fighting the barrage of sutras the witch had cast the moment he stepped beyond the outer rim of her barrier, the hoards before him stood no hope. But there had been no scent of the beast. Even after it had struck he could not be sure that it had fallen with the others.

It didn't matter in the end. The snake had barely managed to scratch his skin and the wound was likely already healed, but even so, the witch would die for her attempt against him.

But he was not about to lower himself to chasing the wretch. The witch had obviously taken action against him in an attempt to weaken the position of the miko under his protection. If the witch had either succeeded in weakening him or in making him strike out against the girl, the Shikon in Kagome's possession would have been left unprotected. He had no doubts that it was the false power of the jewel that the witch coveted, and as such she would not be deterred by one failure.

She would return, and when she did, she would meet her end.

Still, he would have to take care with the little miko. She had said herself that the witch had managed to place her under a curse once before. He would not stand for such interferences now. They had only four days to reach the hidden cavern on the misted mountains. Two days would be needed for travel. Having the child with him, he could not so simply take the miko as he had before. Ah-Un was needed in protection of the girl since he had no faith in the incompetent toad to ensure her wellbeing. So, he would take her with him as far as the swamplands and from there he and the miko would set out alone. But that still left a great deal of terrain to cover. Reaching the misted peaks on foot meant traveling north across the highlands as far as the barren valley of stone, and then taking the narrows of the river-run passes to emerge on the outer rim of the swamp valley that bordered the misted mountains on their southern edge.

The highlands were nothing but sprawling planes of lush grasses and rolling hills. They posed no threat, especially since they would still be within the reaches of his territory. The barren valley, though outside of his boarders, also posed little threat. All creatures left that place be. It was a wasteland, a graveyard for the wolf tribes in the surrounding territory. No life so long as he could remember had taken refuge there. Legend had it that a curse had been set upon the place by the gods, a black plague set in the heart of the stone. But he knew better. Long ago he had journeyed to the wasteland in search of the myth. He had thought to test his strength against what lay concealed, what prevented even the barest hint of life to thrive on the land. But he had found nothing. No life, no curse, no threat; only the deep-cut valleys where the wash of rain had corroded the stone, flowing in rivers of green as they swept away the ore. The land was poisoned with heavy metals, thus stifling all other life.

The swamps, on the other hand, could prove to be more of a challenge. The waters were fetid, fouled by the decay of plant life in the heavy moisture as well as the creatures so unfortunate as to be caught by the traps of the marsh. If it was not poisonous plants and insects that thrived in the damp, or the patches of ground left soft from the waters, or even the large snakes and sleek cats that prowled for their hunts; then it was the beasts of the mire that would claim their victims. Lizards mostly made up these beasts, there were others, but the youkai lizards had a nasty tendency to grow very quickly, reaching sizes that rivaled many dragons.

Ah, dragons. It had been a long time since he had given thought to such creatures. Most dragons never lived long enough in these times to pose any sort of threat. They were killed off in large quantities by the humans, who, for whatever reason, had come to the belief that dragons were the worst kinds of evil. Foolish humans. They gave their worship to fickle gods and worthless relics and to even less worthy youkai, but dragons, even with their incredible gifts of power and magic and their usually docile nature, had become labeled 'enemy'. Of course, youkai were no better for their pursuit of dragons, but at least they had reason for it. Dragon teeth and scales made for incredible weapons, and their blood was coveted by sorcerers and mages for the workings of powerful spells.

But if a dragon was to live their years, they could become very powerful indeed. How long had it been then since the fire breathing one had been released? Over a hundred years at least must have passed. It would have grown since last he saw it. Good. He could use a good fight after all the new stressors introduced into his life since the miko's coming. He had no doubts that the guard he had placed upon the misted mountains had served its purpose well. But unlike any of the pathetic creatures stupid enough to seek refuge in the treacherous rocks and swirling mists of the mountains that would have fallen prey to the beast over the years, the dragon would stand no chance against him.

Sesshomaru was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the miko's return to the camp. He did not turn to acknowledge her presence, nor did he care to. He could still smell the salt of her tears, and he knew that now would be a poor time to speak with her. Her soft mutterings behind him to the stupid toad about watching his big mouth as she removed the binding sutra from it managed to tweak his lips in a slight smirk of amusement, one which grew as the toad woke from the spell bellowing at the miko and she promptly shut it up with a stiff blow from her weapon. Given enough time, the toad would learn to recognize the miko's position over him, but time for her was a precious commodity, and they would be given no leniency for delay in their journey.

After huffing out her annoyance at the ungrateful toad, the miko turned, making her way towards her bedroll. Before she made it to her rest though, she stopped suddenly. A soft gasp of shock left her, and she paused for a moment in indecision. Sesshomaru could almost feel her eyes on him, and he growled low in aggravation. What? Did they think he didn't bleed?

"Miko," he addressed her curtly, his mood once again spoiled, "I suggest you stop staring and go to sleep."

Of course, Kagome, being Kagome, just couldn't quite bring herself to not say something to the matter. It wasn't simply that this was Sesshomaru and he had sustained an injury, minor as it was, it was the fact that Tsubaki had been the one to orchestrate the attack, and the last time the witch had in her possession the power of the Shikon…

"Sesshomaru," her voice was small and uncertain, she had no wish to anger him by suggesting that he would in any way be weak, but… "The snake that bit you, did it have a scent?"

"What foolishness do you speak of, miko? All creatures have a scent."

Kagome gulped at the hardness of his tone. She knew that she was treading dangerously, but she had to press on. "Not Shikigami," she informed him. "They have no scent, and Tsubaki uses them to collect the blood she needs to cast her dark curses. With the power of the Shikon…"

"Miko," Sesshomaru would hear no more. It was unthinkable that the witch could ever hope to curse his blood. No such thing had ever happened before, and it would not happen now. "Cease your prattle and do not concern yourself with matters of such little importance. This Sesshomaru is impervious to all poisons of the blood as well as nearly all magics. There is nothing the witch can hope to accomplish. Her spells are weak and her tactics even more so. Speak no more of this to me. Goodnight."

Realizing that it was all but hopeless to make the proud, stubborn, stupidly powerful demon to admit to even the slight possibility that he may not be as stupidly powerful as he believed, Kagome sighed resignedly and did as he had bid; moving over to her sleeping bag and settling herself in for sleep once again. Still, as she closed her eyes to prepare for what little rest was left for her on this night, she could not shake the uneasy feeling that was gripping her. Tsubaki would not give up so easily. She would return, and it could be guaranteed that when she did, she would only do so thinking she had gained the upper hand. The only question that remained was: would she really have it?

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The wind blew strongly and wildly through the narrows of the river valleys. It howled with the cry of the forgotten, with the edge of warning to all things living not to approach. In the desolate planes only the elements ruled. Earth, water, and wind all thrived here; but it was the metal that was the only thing living.

This was the warning carried on the restless winds to the mistress of their dance, and Kagura took heed.

"Kanna," Kagura called ahead to the void child who was making her way across the barren land like a drifting phantom, "What purpose do we have here? There is danger in this place, and I have had my share of facing threats that are none of my concern. I have my freedom now that Naraku is dead. I will not risk my life again for the will of another!"

"Your freedom is but fleeting," the void child replied without facing the wind witch. Her empty eyes stayed focused ahead on her path, on her mission; and the hollow echo of her voice betrayed no emotion or intent. "The winds change, Kagura. Only by embracing them could you ever hope for true freedom."

Kagura bristled at the words of the void. Why did she continue to follow? She had what she always wanted. With Naraku dead no more was her life but the play thing of another's will. Why then did she continue to follow at the promise of a woman so cloaked in secrets and lies and bound by magics that even she did not understand? Could it be that so long spent bound to service had robbed her of the truth of freedom? Could it be she followed because she knew no other way and she hoped that somewhere in the promises of the captured princess she could find it?

Kagura was broken from her thoughts when the void child came to a stop at the edge of a deep ravine.

"We are here," Kanna intoned in her dead voice.

The void child lifted the mirror in her hands before her, and the dark surface shifted like murky waters until an image was called forth. Where once there was only darkness, now lay the image of the Princess of the Heavens. Her voice called out over the land, a dark chant, an ancient incantation.

All around the earth began trembling with fury in response to the old magics. Something had awakened within the stone, a dark curse set upon the land. The winds howled their warnings, restless and angry for the bindings having been broken. Alive: they whispered. Danger.

"What's happening?" Kagura hissed as she called the winds to steady her against the trembling earth. "What have you done?!"

Kanna turned to face Kagura, though her dead eyes did not look upon her. It was the witch sealed within the mirror that caught her eyes and who answered her question. "The seal has been broken, the sleeping giant awakes. Have no fear, Kagura. It is not my wish that you fight. The words have been written, the prophecy committed. We shall not have to wait long."

"What are you talking about, Kaguya? What awakes here? What prophecy do you speak of?"

"Oh arrow of mine with power pure and immense to stop the dragon, do your good deed fast and swift; grasp the crystal from its neck."

"A dragon…" Kagura gazed over the edge of the ravine, seeing the rise and fall of the earth and stone as the beast held within took its first breaths. "But whose arrow would stop such a beast?"

"It matters not, Kagura," Kaguya snapped at the wind witch's distrust. But after a calming breath, she continued. It wouldn't do for her to alienate the wind witch when she still had need of her services. Once she had gained her freedom from the prison she had been bound to though; that was a whole different story. "Come, we leave. Our purpose here has been completed for the moment."

The void child responded immediately to Kaguya's order and began walking back across the barren land. Kagura lingered for a moment, looking suspiciously down into the ravine where the dragon was stirring. How could the princess have such blind faith in an old prophecy? The pure power spoken of could only be that of a miko, but what miko would have both the power and the desire to slay a dragon that would only succeed in setting free a bound woman? Unless…the woman bound was truly the great being she claimed to be. If that were so, then did Kaguya truly have the power to make good on her promise? Could she really make her truly free?

Kagura turned from the ravine with new hopes, and made to follow after the phantom in white, the child of the void gliding silently across the deadened land.

But even as the mistress of the winds moved away from their warnings, the restless currents of energy continued howling. It spoke to the land and the air, spreading its message far and wide. Beware: it warned. Do not tread here. Evil awakes. And in response to the winds, the waters obeyed. They cried from the skies, their moisture breaking from suspension in the restless air and falling to land below.

But it was not on the earth that their tears landed, it was on the moving elements contained within. The beast had stirred from its slumber, had come forth to face the prophecy long foretold and even longer denied. The falling waters landing on its armored skin were the sign of its freedom, the gift of the elementals. They would shed their tears for their brother.

Tears of the forgotten.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

IT"S ALIVE!!

I was going to keep going on this chapter, but then I got annoyed with having to write such a lengthy chapter after all the short ones I had been writing. So, I cut it short. But, hey! Looks like there's a long way to go on this journey, eh? That should be good enough compensation. Lol I couldn't have made it easy on them, now could I have? It just wouldn't be right, or evil enough for my tastes ;P

Oh! And I just have to say this! This story is now officially the longest story I have ever written. This chapter put the word count just over that of 'My Experiment'. And, being that there is still a ways to go, it looks like we're all in for quite the ride. So, buckle up and hold on tight!

And lastly, I want to apologize to the readers on FFN. With the site being down for so long, I was unusually sparse with my replies. Do forgive me, but by the time I would have received any of the messages, it would have been too late to give any responses being that you would have likely forgotten what you had written or why in the first place. Hopefully we won't have to worry about any more down time and things will start getting back to normal.

Well, that's all for now. Till next time

Shadow

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	26. Tears of the Wistful

Tears of the Wistful

Tears of the Wistful

Morning came swiftly, breaking over the land like a curtain being drawn, filling everything with light and life. Birds rose from their nests, chirping happily on tree branches as the prepared themselves for the rush of the day. Their calls awoke those sleeping below the tree canopy, and they too would come out to greet the morn. All around life began again, the world moved into another day. Households opened, animals were fed and cared for, and children laughed and frolicked in their play beneath their busy parents' feet. Chores were done, homes were kept, animals took to their foraging and hunts; life went on as always under the bright light of the sun.

The morning was crisp and clean, the air fresh and the winds gentle. The sky stretched above in an endless sea of the clearest blue, not even a single cloud to be seen. It was a beautiful day, a day for discovery and adventure, a perfect day to set out on a journey.

The small group set out from their camp early in the day, their spirits lifted from the darkness of the night as they started into the day filled with new hopes. Rin danced merrily through the lush fields of the highlands as they traveled, her jubilant warmth touching everyone as she skipped ahead to gather precious flowers or chased enthusiastically after tiny butterflies floating through the air on the sweet summer breezes. Keeping a protective eye over the child in her play, Ah watched steadfast while Un kept his attention to following the guidance of the miko's hand as she led him over the grassy planes. Even Jaken had contented himself to walking quietly behind the group, his loud protests as to the miko's company or the child's careless frolicking long since silenced by his Lord.

Ahead though, leading the traveling group to their new destination, Sesshomaru was not feeling the calming peace of the bright morning rays or the warming joy of the child exuberance. He was distracted and troubled. Through the night he had been fighting off the effects of the witches sutras, attempting to break free of the restraints the sacred bindings had cast on him; but every time he had believed to be free of them, he found himself once more feeling the drain on his power levels and his senses.

In unsteady waves he would find himself unable to search out ahead for the scents of threats, but only moments later he would become assaulted with the multitude of scents covering the land as everything would come back to him with clarity and potency. His view of the world was coming to him in unsteady flashes, sensing objects and life moving steadily for an instant, and then having it stripped away and replaced with a completely different image after that, one in which life had moved on for a few paces and yet he had missed the steps.

Last night, it had only been his sense of smell that was affected, but upon the morning, he had discovered that his hearing too was off, not quite as acute as it should have been, only able to detect sound for a sparse few miles instead of several. It was getting worse with every surge, with every flash of the world the images being played back to him through his senses were becoming smaller, less distinct, and covering less and less of the world ahead.

He felt as though he was standing within the mists of the mountains again, having his senses robbed from him. But this was no mist clouding his vision, nor the unforgiving echo of wild cries cascading off jagged stone to corrupt his hearing. There was nothing natural about the way his senses had been dulled, and it infuriated him to think that the dark miko had accomplished something as such against him.

The witch was going to die, and it was going to be his great pleasure to see to it that her death was a painful experience.

"Sesshomaru?" The miko's timid voice from beside him pulled him from his thoughts. He looked down at her, seeing in the clear, endless blue of her eyes the soft tinge of worry. "Is there something wrong? You seem…tense."

For a moment, he considered telling the miko of the spells effect on him, but seeing the worry in her eyes and knowing that telling her would only serve to heighten her apprehension for the coming battles, he decided against it. After all, he was not without his capabilities. Scent and sound could only serve him so far before it was strength and speed and skill would take their place. He had been without his senses before and come out of the experience with new knowledge and new confidence. There was no reason to add to the girl's concerns. However, though he believed it unnecessary to inform her of his current situation that did not mean that he could not utilize the miko's abilities to serve his purposes.

"Can you sense the Shikon nearby?" he asked her, his tone steady, revealing nothing of his inner thoughts.

Kagome cocked her head slightly at the question. It was puzzling that Sesshomaru would ask her if she sensed the Shikon. True, Inuyasha needed her abilities to find the jewel shards, but Sesshomaru's senses were far more advanced than his brother's. If Sesshomaru was sensing something that seemed threatening, surely he would know if Naraku's beasts were involved because he would catch their scent. He wouldn't need her to tell him if the Shikon was near, because he would know it himself.

But then she remembered Tsubaki's deception from the night before. Somehow, she had managed to deceive Sesshomaru's senses. The witch had concealed her scent, making it possible for him to believe that she hadn't been the one to attack him. Though Kagome still had not idea what could have allowed his senses to be fooled in such a way, she also realized that he was asking for her help in locating the witch, and that knowledge stood out from any other doubts.

She paused for a moment, allowing her eyes to close as she focused her energies into stretching across the land in search of what she sought. With invisible hands she reached out, tracing her fingers across the feelings of swelling power in search of the one most prominent. But as her hands reached out for the knowledge of where the Shikon lay, in response to her call, the Jewel in her possession surged with power. It clouded her sight, crippled her hands, forced her to feel only the power it had and no other.

Kagome sighed deeply and opened her eyes to look up to Sesshomaru. "I'm sorry, but the Shikon I hold makes it very difficult to locate the one in this time. Their powers are the same, and calling for one makes the other react." She lowered her eyes to the ground. "I can't find Tsubaki."

"Do not let it trouble you," Sesshomaru replied, easing away her insecurities produced by her failure. "The witch will make herself known when she wishes it, and we will fight her." He started moving again, walking on ahead as though nothing was out of place, once again the placid calm of the immobile island, the untouchable force. "Keep your senses alert," he called back to her, snapping her out of her daze, "We approach the wasteland."

At that, Kagome pushed away her nagging questions and any residual doubts. She concentrated on the path ahead, watching as the lush grasses and rolling hills of the highlands that they had traveled through throughout the morning began to break away. Slowly at first, the thinning of the brush and the darkening of the grasses to brown, the changes became evident. But the longer they walked, the more prevalent the death of this place became. The grasses no longer grew on the ground, leaving nothing but cracked mud and dusty earth beneath their feet, and where lush growth of bush and trees had been only large rocks and protrusions of stone remained.

The land bore a chill to it even in the heat of the summer day, a desolate warning of danger that echoed in the expanses of lifeless ruin. The cold seemed to seep into the body, numbing and paralyzing, stealing away the very air they breathed. It was everywhere, in the hardness of the stone, in the echo of the cutting winds. The very land seemed to call out to those passing upon it. Danger: it warned. Beware.

"Kagome?" The little voice from beside her had the young miko looking down to the wide, uncertain eyes of the child. "Rin does not like this place," she said quietly, "It makes Rin feel funny."

"I know, Rin," Kagome soothed as she knelt down next to the girl. She wrapped her arms around the child in a comforting embrace, soothing away her worries with the simplicity of her touch. "What you are feeling is only natural." she told her once she pulled away. "It's a warning of danger to keep you alert. But you don't have to worry," she added with a playful wink, "Sesshomaru's scarier than anything that's out there."

Rin's eyes widened in horror, "Lord Sesshomaru is not scary!" she exclaimed.

Kagome just laughed at that, thinking back on what it really felt like to be pinned by his deadly claws and held in the ferocity of his golden gaze. Oh, he was scary alright, very, very scary. But to know that his power and his presence were working with her instead of against her was enough to put a big smile on her face.

"He's scary enough for me," Kagome told the girl as she took her hand and stood, "Just think of all that big bad doggie breath! Scary!" Kagome emphasized her point with a false tremor, but the look of absolute disbelief in the eyes of the girl and the fact that she just knew Sesshomaru had heard her comment, sent Kagome into a bout of light giggles. "Come on, Rin," she urged with a slight pull on the girl's hand once she had reined in her laughter, "We wouldn't want to keep…" She was abruptly cut off when she had turned and found Sesshomaru looking at her intently. She gulped down the nervous lump that had formed in her throat, and managed to find her shaky voice. "Sesshomaru? Is something wrong?"

Sesshomaru blinked and averted his gaze from the miko. He had known the girls had come to a stop, but that was not what had bothered him. It hadn't even been the miko's words to the child that caused his unrest; it was the fact that he could barely hear the woman's soft assurances to the girl even though they were not more than a few paces behind him.

"Let us not waste time," he ordered as he turned and began walking again. "Come."

Kagome, knowing that his tone meant nothing but business, was quick to comply with his order. She quickly took up her pace, bringing her and the child whose hand she was holding in step with Sesshomaru.

They walked for several hours through the vast emptiness of the desolate planes. The sun in the sky overhead beat down on the mercilessly, its heat stifling when there was no tress or grass to lessen its impact. Not even the whipping winds made less of the heat, for they too would wash over the travelers with gusts that burned with the sting of loosened sands and dirt caught in their dance.

Though her demon companions either didn't feel the heat or were not bothered by it, Kagome was fully aware of how much of a toll it was taking on her body. She was sweating heavily, her clothing long ago drenched in the moisture of her body. And because of this, the sands caught in the winds were sticking to her readily, leaving her with the feeling of a second skin, dry and cracking and unbelievably foul.

Still, despite the fact that her body was protesting loudly to its current state, Kagome's mood was light and pleasant. Ever since her assurances to Rin, the girl had taken to her raptly. She had questioned hr endlessly about the use of her powers, her curiosity nearly insatiable. Kagome had answered the girl's questions as best she could, happy to have any distraction from the seemingly endless stretch of barren plains; but, being that she really didn't know all that much about them in the first place, she soon took to putting Rin's abilities to practice and allowing the girl to find them out for herself.

Kagome drew the bouncing child near to her, taking hold of her hand as she instructed the girl to draw out the powers of the amulet she now wore around her neck. Rin did as she was told, concentrating on the tingling as Kagome had told her. In only moments, she was seeing the first glittering waves of gold that burst forth around her, and after several long minutes more, she was able to hold the barrier steady for several seconds at a time.

Rin beamed with pride at her accomplishment, and her joy became Kagome's as well as she too took pride in her pupil's learning. But again, as she watched the flickering seal of the barrier around her, Rin's curiosity overcame her and she began asking question again.

"Kagome, why does the barrier not affect you? Rin is holding Kagome's hand, but the barrier does not react."

"It won't react to me because I don't intend you any harm."

Rin seemed contented with that explanation, and, for the moment at least, abandoned her questioning in favor of swinging herself playfully using the elder girl's arm as her swing. But she quickly realized that her swinging was rather lopsided. Rin paused momentarily in her game, but her little mind quickly came up with a solution. She looked over to where her Lord was walking beside her. Usually, the girl wouldn't have thought to do such a thing, but with Miss Kagome being so willing to play with her, Rin was finding that more and more she wished that her Lord would as well. She looked longingly at his hand, wishing to take it as Kagome had so easily taken hers.

But he wouldn't, she thought sadly to herself. He had always stayed so distant. It wasn't that she minded or anything, she knew that was the way he was, and she loved him still. But she wished, if only for a moment, she could feel what it was like to have him care for her as openly as Miss Kagome. She knew her Lord cared, she knew that he would always protect her, she knew these things; but still…

Rin allowed her vision to slide upwards until she could see his face. He was so calm, his expression almost placid. He had always seemed to her to be an angel lost in the world, always with his eyes searching ahead for the light he had left behind. But not now. Now, all she could see when she looked at him was the calm. He no longer seemed to be searching ahead. Now, he was walking in the present, as though he had found his light.

That thought made the young girl smile. She wished for nothing more than for her Lord to be happy, and she knew, that in ways that could never come from battle or from the totems of power that he sought, he had found something to bring him joy. Oh, she could see it on his face, that face formed from the most perfect of molds, the lines of worry that etched his flawless skin so delicately as his muscles clenched in uncertainty. He was fighting with himself, holding himself back, hiding something unknown to anyone else. But even so, the calm was there, radiating from him. He was happy, maybe more so than she had ever seen him, and that made her smile in joy as well. Maybe, just maybe…

"Rin," Sesshomaru's voice pulled the girl from her thoughts. "Is there something you wanted?"

Rin decided right then that she should just go for it. She took a deep breath, then reached her little hand up and slid it into Sesshomaru's. For a moment she stopped breathing. All she could do was watch the way her Lord's eyes widened ever so slightly and then quickly turned to look down at her. But when she felt his hand slowly and gently tighten around hers, her whole face lit up with a radiant smile.

"No, Lord Sesshomaru," she told him, her voice only another measure of her joy, "Rin has everything she could ever want."

The day continued on, but even in the vast emptiness of the barren lands, even through the heat of the sun and the rush of the sandy winds; they was joy to be found, a peaceful calm that had settled over the traveling group. It was the innocence of a child that brought such feelings to a group that had suffered under such distrust and anger. And as the day wore on, and Rin drew them in to her innocent games and joyful play, there was no escaping the feelings of contentment and happiness.

Rin couldn't have been happier. With one of her hands in that of her Lord's and her other in the gentle hold of her new friend, the girl couldn't remember the last time she had felt so wonderful, so loved, so much a part of a family. But there was still a member of her family missing. Rin twisted slightly around, managing to catch a glimpse of the lumpy green form of the toad trudging along behind them.

There was a special place in Rin's heart for the loud little toad. True, he tended to be quite mouthy, and he liked to point out the fact of how utterly human she was, and he seemed to be overly fond of whatever that foul stench was that he was always covered in; but she knew, underneath his lumpy green exterior, that the toad had a good heart and that he would, if it came down to it, give everything he could to ensure her safety. He was her friend, perhaps the only one she had before Miss Kagome had come into her life, and seeing him so downcast as he shuffled his little feet behind his master made Rin feel sad for the little beast.

She should do something for him, she decided suddenly, something to lighten his mood and put a…well…not a smile…but perhaps a less pronounced scowl on the toad's beakly face. Rin allowed her eyes to scan across the reaches of the barren planes. Of course, a pretty flower was out of the question, but surely, she thought, she could find something that would serve as a present to her rather tantrum friend.

It didn't take the girl very long to find what she was looking for. Just to her left, at the base of a gathering of rocks jutting over a small stream of greenish waters flowing down into a narrow pass that led to the deep ravine below, something glinted in he bright rays of the sun. A flash of metal perhaps, or even a precious stone hidden within the dull rock and dirt of the wasteland; either way, the girl was immediately filled with a rush of exhilaration. Jaken would love it! She was sure.

Still, just because she was going to get a special gift for her friend, that didn't mean that she was about ready to give up her spot holding the hands of her two favoritest people. But how to keep her place for when she returned? Rin's little face scrunched up slightly as she debated the issue, but then, suddenly, she was struck with an inspiration.

"Rin will be right back," the girl chirped happily to the two adults as she began drawing her hands together, "Hold my spot."

And with that, Rin pulled her hands away and darted off to her treasure, leaving two very shocked adults clutching each other's hands in the place of the little girl's

After Rin's departure, Kagome, for the life of her, couldn't figure out what to do. Here she was, holding Sesshomaru's hand, and her body was betraying her and not letting go. At least, she was blaming her body, but that was because she really wasn't about to accept the possibility that her body was simply obeying the thoughts running through her head which told her that it felt rather nice to have Sesshomaru holding her hand, and that she really didn't want to let go.

Hesitantly, she lifted her eyes to find his. Half expecting to find him glaring at her murderously for daring to touch him in such a way, she was completely thrown when she found that, like her, he too seemed to be in slight shock; and that instead of looking like he was about ready to kill her for her offense that he seemed to be waiting for something. But what could he be waiting for?

'For me to pull away,' Kagome realized in a slight daze. 'He thinks that I would pull away from him…Because of the last time…because of…Inuyasha.'

Kagome's eye widened with the realization, but after a few fast flutterings of her eyelids to clear away her confusion, she managed to look back down to their locked hands that had put her in this position in the first place. A slight, involuntary, twitch of one of her fingers startled Kagome so badly she nearly lost her balance. Chastising herself harshly for acting so much like a frightened little school girl, while disregarding the fact that in reality she was just that, Kagome pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she worked through the fog of her mind to try and figure out what to do.

'Oh this is ridiculous!' she was screaming in her mind. 'It just his hand for crying out loud! His hand, with sharp, deadly claws that shoot poison, and which have shot poison directly at me, pierced straight through countless demons without so much as a thought, killed…..but ooohhhh his hand is so warm! Ok Kagome, girl, get a grip. It's just a hand. Holding hands is what friends do, right? Yeah, right. Friends that are about to get friendlier! Well it's not like he hasn't tried to get friendlier already. Then again, that was like 200 years ago for him, and then there was that whole 100 years or so of hating me because he thought I betrayed him and all, and….OOOHHH!! You stupid demon! Why didn't you just let go! Or yell at me to let go?! Not like you ever yell or anything….'

Kagome was cut off from her inner ramblings, a startled gasp leaving her lips, as Sesshomaru's hand tightened around hers, pressing against her skin with light pressure as his fingers shifted slightly to wrap more securely around her hand. Her eyes flew up to find his, and she could feel the heat building under her cheeks as a furious blush stained her skin. For a second, she thought she saw something in his eyes, something that she had thought only a dream when she had unknowingly woken in the future. But no sooner had she seen it, than his eyes shifted, flashing back again to the hardened gold. Before she even realized it, he had turned away from her and pulled his hand free of hers.

"Sess…" she started to call out to him, but was interrupted by a shrill, high-pitched, scream.

Kagome spun quickly towards the sound. "RIN!!" She cried out in horror as she watched the ground under the child surging to life under her.

In a heaving mass, the ground beneath the girl's feet pressed upwards. The dirt and mud began to fall away from what was rising, and as it fell the sharp glint of metal began to reflect in the sun. In only seconds, Rin was surrounded on all sides, the thick projections of metal gathering like a fist ready to clench down on the child.

She screamed again, a shrill sound of horror, and in response, the juttings of metal snapped together, intent on smothering the girl in it grasp. But no sooner had the creaking grind of the moving elements sounded out, than a hissing crack rang out through the air. Three of the large projections fell away immediately. They had been cut through, the junctions of their severing still sizzling with the hot acid that had corroded them.

Within the clutch of stone, Rin was visible again. She was crouched down against the shifting stone at her feet, her arms lifted above her head; but all around her, flashing strong with currents of whipping black light against the encroaching stone, the barrier of the enchanted pendant held firm.

Again the hissing crack echoed on the air, severing another portion of the metallic stone, crumbling two more peaks. In a flash, Sesshomaru was within the gripping confines right next to the crouching girl. He gathered Rin to himself, securing her against his chest with a sharp order for her to hold on. Her hands tightened against his fur, and Sesshomaru pushed strongly off away from the closing grasp of the clutch. But even as he lifted himself and the child away, he turned back to the heaving stone and released his acid whip once more.

The rising ore was decimated beneath the powerful crack of his whip, causing showers of stone, dirt, and metal to spray in every direction as it was torn apart. But as Kagome looked on, a whole new apprehension began gripping her. The metal that had been embedded in the stone, the metal that had lifted up out of the earth in an attempt to take hold of the girl, was melting on the ground, collecting into small pools before seeping back into the rocks and dirt of the planes.

"Jaken!" Sesshomaru called to the imp forcefully as he settled the still trembling child onto the saddle of Ah-Un. "Take Rin and Ah-Un and go back to the highlands. Wait there for my return."

"My Lord?" the little toad questioned as he drew up to the side of the pack beast.

"Go. Now." Sesshomaru ordered frigidly to the imp as he smacked hard on the rump of the dragon to force it to the skies.

Jaken squawked in shock and frantically scrambled to take hold of the dragons reins before it lifted into the sky. Still, as he left his Lord behind, Jaken could not help but worry. Something was troubling his Lord, and that in itself was cause to worry because nothing ever seemed to trouble the great Sesshomaru-sama. But ever since he had returned to the camp on the previous night, his Lord had been even more removed than usual, almost as though he was distracted by something he was sensing. But the toad could not go against his master's orders, and he was left with no course of action but to hope for the safe return of his beloved Lord. Surely, the great Sesshomaru-sama would bring down the threat that had been playing across his highly advanced senses.

Little did the toad know, that it had not been what Sesshomaru had been sensing that had troubled him so, but rather, what he had not been sensing.

"What is it, Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked in a hushed whisper as she drew closer to him, her eyes never leaving the disappearing pools of gleaming metal.

A low rumble of aggravation began vibrating through Sesshomaru's chest. "I do not know," he answered the miko curtly. "The only scent is that of the ore in the rock." But he knew it wasn't just that. Something was controlling the movement of the metal ores, but he could not focus his senses enough to be able to pinpoint its source.

Kagome cast a curious look at Sesshomaru. There it was again, the distraction she had seen earlier. What was it? What was bothering him? She had never seen him so tense. Even on the misted mountain he never radiated this kind of…unease. She didn't like it. She didn't like seeing him like that, it was wrong for him, for a being of such power and will. More than that, she didn't like the knowledge that he was keeping something from her, something powerful enough to distract even him from their journey. And she was going to tell him that…later.

Right now though, right now she had a demon to find.

Kagome planted her feet firmly on the ground and stretched her hands out in front of herself. She took in a deep, steadying breath, and then lanced her searching aura forward. Her hands stretched out before her, but not as visible entities. They were the soft brush of the breeze, the gentle mists of the forest streams. They touched everything, speaking to it in soft whispers, and listening as even the elements of the living earth spoke back.

"Where…" it was a whisper of awe, of reverence for the land; but it was a question of need, a testament of wills.

The answer came to her in a rush; a pulsing of power, a shift in the balance. She could feel it like a cold shiver at the loss of the sun behind the long shadows of a cloud. The dark aura rose up around her, revealing its intent. It rose from the very heart of the land, from the dark places that never saw the light; and it came with only one purpose: to destroy. But she had seen darkness before, she had faced down its wrath and stood firm against its claim to power. And she was still here, though the same could not be said about many of the dark ones.

Kagome flared her aura powerfully, pushing it into the land around her. "Come out!" she called forcefully to the beast lying in wait.

It was there, just beyond the sharp drop of the ravine. It was the earth, it was the elements; but it was alive. She could feel it now, the pulse of the beast in the earth. It was a painful throb that passed across her senses. Anger, fury, hatred, death; this was all the beast knew. It had pulled back when it felt the surge of her powers, but it had returned with a fury that magnified its terror a hundred fold.

The ground began to shake, fitful tremors that broke through the earth so fiercely that all around large splits in the stone opened to create deep chasms. Kagome dropped to her knees to steady herself against the tremors, her bow already in hand. The beast was coming, and she was going to be ready for it. But the shaking of the earth did not cease. A sharp crack resonated through the ground directly underneath her, and Kagome threw herself to the side only seconds before a sharp jutting of jagged metal burst out through the stone.

She scrambled back from the projection, but another sharp crack from beneath her had her pushing herself forcefully to her feet and dashing across the trembling earth. The ground beneath her feet was heaving, rising and falling as though the very earth was breathing. The disorienting motion forced Kagome to stay low to the ground, using her hands to steady her as she was jostled from her feet with every rise and fall. But she had to keep moving. All around the metal spikes were shooting through the stone as what lay beneath rose to the surface.

A sudden lurching sent Kagome sprawling. She tried to right herself, but the ground had all but disappeared from under her. It had broken away in a sprawling gap just ahead of her, but behind her the ground had lifted at an impossible angle. She was falling, slipping against the loosened dirt and rock, unable to hold on.

Then she stopped. She was moving away from the rise of land.

"You could have been there sooner," she sighed as she relaxed against Sesshomaru. He didn't respond to her with words, but she could feel the light rumble that shook through his chest and it made her smile despite everything happening around her.

In only moments, Sesshomaru was setting them down away from the great split that had opened. Kagome turned and lifted her eyes to the growing horror. The huge section of land that had rising up beneath them was breaking away from something solid underneath. The great spikes that had thrust so forcefully through the outer crust were revealed to be jagged spines of metal protruding from the heavy frame of the beast.

Its shoulders lifted first, the spines protruding from its armored form crumbling the stone and shaking it away to reveal the shifting grey of its skin which flashed in every movement with the shine of hard metal. In an explosion of power far back from the lifting frame, the creature's tail burst out of its stone confinements. A dozen ferocious balls of deadly spikes, snapping wildly in every direction; the whipping tail sent a hail of ruble raining down across the devastated land. When at last the beast pulled its head from the depths of the ravine, there was no more doubting what kind of creature they faced.

A metal dragon: a mythical creature of the elements rather than of flesh and blood.

Its eyes, set deeply behind a barricading wall of the jagged metal, gleamed a wicked red as it turned to focus on the essence of purity that had come to face it down. The armor shell covered every inch of it, jutting out in every direction as deadly skewers, and behind it, thrashing furiously, the dragon's tail left a devastating wake that shook the land. It was massive, towering so high into the sky that it put into shadow everything below. It snapped its jaw wide, revealing the razor edges of the gapping maw, and released a hissing roar.

Kagome screamed and clasped her hands tightly against her ears to force the sound away. It was deafening! It resounded against her eardrums in a thundering pulse, shaking her inner balance, forcing her to her knees. She could do nothing but fight against the sound, pushing it away from her with everything she had.

Then, suddenly, it stopped. The roar faded, taking with it the debilitating pulse. But in its wake, a deep hiss filled the air, followed immediately by a deep, shuddering, choking sound. Kagome managed to lift her head to look up at the beast, but the moment she did she knew she had no time. The dragon has spit thousands of jagged spears from its great maw of shredded metal, and they cut through the air directly at her.

Kagome braced her hands before her, hiding her head away from the path of the spears. She knew the effort was all but futile, but she was working on nothing but instinct. She held her breath and waited, but the spikes would never hit. The screeching rip of metal against metal echoed all around her, and she peered hesitantly over the protective shield of her arms. A deep sigh of relief left her when she saw Sesshomaru standing in front of her with his sword drawn. He was standing right in the path of the attack, forcing aside every jagged bolt with easy swipes of his blade.

When the barrage had finally come to a stop, the dragon was visible again. Sesshomaru wasted no time in moving in on the beast. He pushed off from the ground, his target in his sights. He had lifted himself to the towering height of the dragon, as easy in the air as on the ground as he manipulated the currents of energy around him to lift him to his will. His blade came down in a great arch, filled to its capacity with currents of power. The blast from Tokijin exploded outwards in a fury, lancing in searing bolts towards the dragon's head.

The beast hissed and recoiled from the sheer force of the blast, but in its retreat its tail snapped forward, flying meteors of destruction. Sesshomaru evaded the wild swings. Using his speed, he easily avoided any contact and managed to position himself for another attack. His arm lifted as he prepared to strike, but the beast suddenly burst out of the still burning currents of energy from the last attack. It thrust its gapping maws at him, attempting to snag him in its armored teeth. But again Sesshomaru was too fast. He maneuvered behind the dragon's head, lashing out again with his blade. His strike landed solidly with the beast's neck, but the second the sword hit the armored skin of the dragon, it recoiled back from the solid metal frame.

"Sesshomaru!" Kagome's voice drew his attention in an instant. Silently, he cursed the girl for drawing the attention of the beast as well, but he was already too late to stop her. "There's a power source in its neck!" She yelled up to him as she notched an arrow.

"No!"

But he couldn't stop her. Kagome had already loosed her arrow at the soft glow of power she saw reflecting off the shifting metal of the elemental's armor. The arrow sped towards its target; its path strong and true and tracking a glittering wave of pure energy behind it. It slammed into the metal shell of the dragon, its power exploding outwards in bright rays of light. But the arrow had been shattered, its magics deflected from the creature's protective shell.

Kagome stared unbelievingly for a second, but then quickly reached behind herself for another arrow. Her actions, though, had set the dragon's sights on her once again. Its burning eyes locked on to her, and even as she lifted her bow, she could see the jaws of the beast opening again. Her eyes widened in apprehension, and her breathing quickened. She knew she needed to make this shot count. With no more time to waste, Kagome focused every ounce of power she could into the light wood of her arrow and loosed it in a brilliant stream of light.

Sesshomaru could see the arrow's approach, but from where he was he could also see the dragon ready to unleash its attack. Kagome wouldn't survive a barrage of the jagged spears. He had to do something, and he had to do it now. In a burst of speed, he pulled back from the dragon, only to stop dead and spin back to the beast. He used his momentum to propel himself against the dragon's armored head. As he rushed the beast, he reached out to take hold of one of the jagged spikes of its metal covering. With an unyielding grip on the dragon, he continued his movement forward, swinging the head with him over the edge of the ravine.

Not in time.

The dragon's attack had already begun. The jagged spears spewed forth from its grate maw, slicing their way towards the little miko. But the attack had been diverted, it was slightly off course. Kagome saw her chance, and bolted away from the deadly spines. From the corner of her eye she could see the massive frame of the elemental dragon being pulled forcefully over the edge of the cliff. She startled when she saw a flash of white against the glinting silver of the metal beast. Sesshomaru was taking the dragon over the ravine, but it was falling directly above him. It would trap him beneath it!

"AAAAHHHH!!"

The startled scream was wrenched out of her when she felt the ripping pain tear across her left shoulder. She lost her footing and tumbled to the ground, rolling with the force of the impact. She hissed as the jarring force of the ground tore against the deep wound cutting across her shoulder. Reflexively, her right hand reached up to cover the tear in her flesh. Feeling the pulse of blood seeping through her fingers and the searing pain ripping through her whole arm, Kagome cried out in shock. Her breathing was harsh, short, forceful gasps to return lost oxygen to her body, but slowly and on shaky limbs, she managed to push herself to her knees.

Immediately her sight was drawn to the edge of the ravine that Sesshomaru and the dragon had disappeared over. Her panting breaths shortened when she saw no movement from beyond the drop. She needed to do something. Quickly, she gathered her bow from where it had been sent flying from her hand when she had been struck, and she got to her feet and started towards the ledge. But she had only made it a few paces when she found herself stumbling backwards again.

From out of the gap in the stone, the massive frame of the dragon surged upwards. Its shifting metal body glinted in blinding flashes as it twisted in the air. But the position of the creature's body was wrong. Even as it shifted in the air to bring its legs down to contact with the ground, Kagome could tell that the beast's departure from the base of the rock split was not of its own doing. Her eyes shot back to the edge just in time to see the sleek, muscled form of the powerful Inu launching himself over the edge of the cliff in a collision path with the dragon.

Sesshomaru was on the dragon even before it had time to right itself from being thrown from the pit. His jaws snapped open with a vicious snarl as his heavy frame settled across the back of the dragon. Ignoring the projecting pieces of metal covering the dragon's back and shoulders, Sesshomaru ground his claws against the beast, gripping against the jagged spikes as his jaw wrapped around the dragon's throat.

The dragon roared in fury when it felt the heat of the corrosive poison burning through its outer shell. Its body reared up powerfully, jerking back against the Inu that held it. The beast's movement managed to break Sesshomaru's hold. He pushed away quickly, his hind legs taking the force of his impact and shaking the earth beneath him. But the dragon was quick to strike back. It turned quickly, its tail whipping forward with a hiss of movement.

Sesshomaru reared back from the attack, avoiding the hit of many of the spiked implements and deflecting the rest with determined sweep of his claws. The instant the attack had passed he was moving forward again. He caught several of the smaller connections whipping out from the dragon's thick, armored tail between his teeth. Using the combination of his corrosive saliva and the force of his jaw, the heavy balls of spikes fell to the ground, the remaining tendril of their attachment thrashing wildly.

The dragon roared in pain and reeled back. It used the bulk of its body to slam into Sesshomaru, sending him back again. But again he regained his footing as he planted his hind legs behind him and used his claws to force grips into the stone and earth. The dragon wheeled on him, its eyes flashing dark and deadly. It was preparing for another attack.

The slight shifting of the ground beneath him was the only sign for Sesshomaru that anything had taken place, but in an instant, explosions erupted everywhere as the metal ore in the stone was called up by the elemental. Sesshomaru growled fiercely at the beast as he was forced to push back again to avoid the jutting of metal that sought to impale him at the jagged tips. One missed him by only inches on his right side. He made to move around it, but in his rush he failed to make the adjustment for his upset balance without his left foreleg. His heavy frame tilted precariously. Only by inches, he managed to steady himself by shifting his back leg forward. But no sooner had he corrected his lapse than he was forced to press off the ground in the face of another projection of metal.

Sesshomaru growled out his fury at the dragon as he lifted towards it. Elementals always were an annoyance. Again he crashed into the side of the beast. The fibers of his fur, though silken to the touch, were as strong as the metal covering of the dragon and they shielded him from injury, allowing him to he hold back nothing against the beast. His jaws wrapped around the dragon's throat again, burning deeper and more forcefully through the beast's armored shell. The taste of metal began to bleed into his mouth, the creature's blood thick like flowing mercury before it too was corroded and melted into acrid fumes by the potent poison flowing through his body.

The dragon bucked again, but this time Sesshomaru's grip was too tight and his jaw remained locked tightly around the beast's neck. Beneath him, he could feel the creature thrashing wildly. Its frame shifted, the jagged spines running along its back screaming as they brushed against each other. The tail! Sesshomaru released his hold and ducked quickly to avoid being caught by the spiked clubs of the dragon's tail. He saw the beast falter as it staggered back from him, and he growled lowly in triumph.

But the elemental wasn't finished yet. It forced the ground to tremble again, putting the great Inu on the defensive as the metal ores of the earth rose up about him, and it snapped its maw wide once more. The dreadful hiss of the dragon's breath spewed out again in a dark cloud of raining metal spears. It followed Sesshomaru's path as he took to the skies, lifting its head and tracking the Inu with its deadly spears.

It was the move that would spell the end of the dragon.

The moment it lifted its head, it had revealed the corroded area of its neck. From the ground below, Kagome found a perfect shot clear through the dragon's outer shell. She could see the power source gleaming in its neck, the dark light that was the curse of this beast. She lifted her bow, fighting against the painful sting of her wound that was pulsing with throbbing protests with every slight motion. But she fought against it. Her window had opened and she would not miss it. She drew her bowstring taught, lining up her sights with her target, and then released.

The brilliant stream of power cut through the air, passing under the dragon's protective shell. The arrow sunk deeply into the dragon's frame, stilling only once it had reached the pulsing flow of dark light. The beast immediately stiffened. Its frame shook and its maw snapped open and closed again in a futile attempt to roar out its anguish. But the purity of the sacred arrow burned through the darkness of the beast's power, the light overshadowing the darkness and sealing it away. One last time, the dragon reared back, wheeling on its hind legs to face the little miko below. But she stood strong against it, and already another arrow of light was streaking towards the tear at its neck.

With the second arrow, the purity became too much. The dragon was overtaken by a blinding surge of white light. It enveloped its body, inside and out. It raced through its veins as fire hot enough to boil even the metal in its blood. And then it went still. Its head lifted to the skies and its eyes slipped closed. The light exploded from within the beast, showing outwards in a hail of glittering ash that floated gently to the earth below.

The ground trembled with shock when the heavy bones of the cursed dragon crashed down. Its life in service to the curse of the land, to the power of the shifting metals, had come to an end.

Kagome dropped to her knees when she saw the beast fall. Her bow slipped from her hands, clattering to the ground at her side. She hadn't the strength to hold it any longer. She took in several deep, gasping breaths to harden her resolve, and then looked to her wounded shoulder. Her breath caught. Spreading out from the large tear in her flesh she could see the thin blue lines that were spreading through her skin and seeping into her blood.

Poison! The word screamed out in her mind. The elemental had poisoned her with its attack. The heavy metals of its blood were being drawn into her body, poisoning her with their taint with every beat of her heart. She pressed down firmly on the gash to slow the flow of blood, hissing as the pain assaulted her once more.

"Sesshomaru!" she called out to him, her voice rasping in pain. But she knew what had to be done. He appeared beside her almost instantly, already morphed back to his humanoid form. "It's poison," she hissed as she lifted her hand to reveal the deep gouge on her shoulder and the spreading lines tracking beneath he skin. "You have to burn it out."

Sesshomaru knelt down next to her. He could see the poison spreading beneath her skin, smell the taint in her blood; but… "My poison will kill you."

"No." Kagome shook her head firmly as she struggled to catch her breath. "It won't. You have to…" She paused as a wave of dizziness passed over her, stealing her vision to bleary grey before she blinked it back into focus. "...trust me," she finished as her eyes locked on his again. She reached forward with her good arm and took hold of his hand, guiding it up to her shoulder until she could press the end of his claws into her skin. She gasped involuntarily, her face being contorted as the pain ripped through her again, but she held steady. "You must."

Sesshomaru hesitated for a moment longer, but the solid determination in the eyes of the miko soon won over his sense of uncertainty. He pressed his claws deeper into her, his jaw setting in concentration as he blocked out the strangled cry of pain that left her. He kept his eyes only on the tear in her shoulder, focusing all of his attention into slowly releasing a steady flow of poison from his claws. A wracking tremor took over the miko's body as the poison entered her system, but he held her still.

"It burns…" he heard her soft whisper between her gasping breaths. "Like…you…"

Slowly, carefully, he pulled his claws back from her. She swayed unsteadily as another fit of tremors raced through her frame, but he caught her before she could fall. Bringing her close against him, Sesshomaru held the miko tightly as she strained for breath and fought against the corrosive poison racing through her veins. But even though outwardly she seemed worse, he could also see the streaking blue lines fading away beneath her skin as his poison dissolved the elements of the ore.

"Rest, priestess," he told her quietly as his hold shifted on her trembling body so that he could lift her.

"No…" her tiny whisper brought his eyes back to hers.

She was fighting to keep her eyes open, but she did not want to give in just yet. Her right arm lifted slowly from her side, trembling slightly as she reached out to him. She touched the side of his face timidly, trailing along the line of his jaw with shaky fingers before her strength gave out and her hand fell limply to her side. But even so, a small, happy smile pulled up on her lips.

"Your…eyes," she whispered quietly as her eyes filled with a clear barrier of moisture. "They…care..."

Her voice dropped off and her eyes slipped shut. She went limp in his arms, her body stealing her into unconsciousness to fight against the poison coursing through her. And as her head fell forward against him her hot tears dripped down onto the silken fibers of his fur.

Sesshomaru tensed slightly as her weight settled against him, but he soon found himself pulling her closer. He had felt the soft heat of her touch, heard the longing and need in her voice. She had asked him to trust her again, and he had. With hardly any thought, he had done as she asked him to. He had watched her body tremble with waves of pain as his poison coursed through her; but with the sight of it, the feeling of her body trembling against him, knowing how hard she was fighting; he couldn't help looking into her eyes, seeing past the hazy blue surfaces to the flashing waves of light burning within. He could see them dance and surge within her, almost feel the heated waves of her pain. But in that moment, he had inadvertently opened his eyes to her as well.

She cried because she had seen it again, seen past his hardened barriers to a place within him meant only for her. She shed her tears because she knew as much as he what it meant, and how deeply the ache spread.

Tears of the wistful.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Ok, that was the longest chapter EVER!! Phew! I didn't think it would ever be over. But, it is. Thank God!

These battles take forever, but they are fun while they last. Next chapter though, I think I'm going to take a break from the battles to come and relax for a bit. I think I've earned it! And so have they.

But on your way out, if you would be so kind, leave a review to let you authoress know how her battle went. I'm still working on my battle scenes, and some feedback would be good for tweaking the ones still to come in this journey.

Well then, till next time

Shadow

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	27. Tears of the Disenchanted

Tears of the Disenchanted

Tears of the Disenchanted

The sky across the broken lands of the barren valley burned a fierce red as the sun slipped away from the land in its decent towards night. The light cast everything below into a fiery haze, from the cracked planes of the earth to the trickling streams winding through the deep cut river valleys. It burned with a memory that would soon be forgotten as the reign of the elements was brought to an end. The winds had calmed from their whipping dance, their warnings hushed in the aftermath of the great battle. At peace, they washed over the land, calm and tranquil now that the dark curse had been brought down.

"How?"

The question was spoken aloud, but only the winds could hear it. Their mistress asked of them to reveal their secrets, but the time of the battle had passed, the restless winds had moved on. There were no answers to be given, no words to speak with their mistress with but for those of calm. The curse has passed; they whispered. The elements have quieted, peace lives.

Kagura scowled at the answer from the winds. She wanted to know what kind of force could have brought down the cursed beast. She wanted to know about the pure light that had slain the dragon, about the power that had been enough to thwart its destructive reign over the land. Why? Why had this person come to slay the dragon? How had Kaguya known that such a person could or would?

'_Even the elements can not escape the trappings of time.'_

That had been what the Princess had said. She came from the moon, from the skies above the earth. She came with the power to see time as the wind witch could not. But was it her power? How had she been trapped in the confines of the mirror? Why did she need help to find her release? What was she?

Kagura turned away from her unproductive thoughts, focusing her attention on the small form of the void child crouching next to a flow of trickling waters catching the light of the dying sun.

"Are you about finished?"

She had had enough of these barren planes, of these river run passes, of the rock and the stone, of the elements that would not heed her command. The winds had died in this place, their restless calls quieted in the aftermath of a battle that they could not or would not tell her about. She wanted to move on, to finish this foolish mission set upon her by the Princess of the mirror. She would play her part, give her aid to the Princess' cause; but she would not be fooled by promises of hope. She had been deceived and manipulated by the master; she would not so easily fall into such traps by this Princess.

Kanna turned to face her, her soulless eyes a dark emptiness that never came into focus. She was the void, she was the emptiness, she was nothing and yet she walked the lands. She seemed to be a child, and yet she was not. She seemed to be a faithful servant, and yet she served nothing, for she was nothing. She had nothing to gain and nothing to loose. The void cared only for having the emptiness filled. That was why she had continued to serve Naraku. The monster always had new ways to bring suffering and chaos, to fill the darkness of the void with things of such hideousness that the void child was satiated.

What was she seeking now? Kagura could not help but wonder. Kanna was her sister by birth only. And though the wind witch did care what happened to the girl, she also knew that to feel such things was futile. The void cared of nothing, knew nothing but for the darkness and the turmoil of having lost everything. What could the Moon Princess have to give a creature who knew nothing of freedom, who cared nothing for her own existence? What had Kaguya offered Kanna to gain her trust, her service?

A sharp glint reflecting the red light of the failing light reflected in Kanna's hand and drew Kagura's eye.

"Is that the crystal from the dragon's neck?"

The only response was a slight inclination of the head of the void child. They had acquired another of the items Kaguya required for her freedom and Kagura, though still uncertain of the Princess' claims and position, could not help the small surge of excitement that washed through her. Even if her hope would be fleeting, she could not help but to revel in the feeling. It had been so long, so long that she had not even dared to think hope would serve her. But now, now that her heart was no longer held in the clutches of evil, she could feel her hope again, know the warmth that it offered.

Freedom: it would be hers. She was the wind, and she would join in its dance as a free youkai.

TTTTTTTTTT

Night claimed the land swiftly behind the blazing red of the setting sun. It wrapped around everything in a blanket of shadow, a covering of cool breezes and soft light that settled down the excitement of the day and lulled those under it to the rest of slumber. But even in the gentle sway of the evening, life began to stir again. The creatures that thrived in the dark, that took to their hunts when their prey was most vulnerable; began moving out from their daylight shelters. From night birds that called out with haunting cries into the starlit sky, to the great cats and dogs that moved with unmatched stealth and speed through the vast terrain to pull down the sleeping giants of the plains and forests, to those things darker than the shadows cast by the curtain of black; the unseen hum of the nightlife rose up to those still aware of its presence.

In a small grove of sheltering trees on the boarders of the highlands, in the soft glow of a dying fire and amidst the company of her new traveling group, Kagome roused from the capture of her body's demands of rest. It was strange that she would awake at such a time. She knew she needed the time that sleep would allow her to heal, and all around her she could feel the soft blanket of comfort and peace that held her.

Perhaps it was this that stirred her from the darkness of her unconscious. Upon waking, she could feel the throbbing ache in her head, the painful sting of the fresh wound tearing across her shoulder, and the unsettling covering of dirt and grime from the hard day of travel through the barren lands. But even so, despite these things, and despite the fact that she knew such unpleasant experiences should be accompanied by equally unpleasant feelings, especially in the dark of night; she could feel nothing but the calm, nothing but a deep peace and satisfaction, a soothing blanket of warmth and protection that covered everything and washed away all doubts and soothed all pains.

She shifted her body reluctantly, knowing that any movement would pull her away from the last catches of dreams; but there had been a reason why she woke, and she needed to find out what it had been. Her slight bit of movement, however, caused Kagome to freeze in shock. Something was definitely not right with her sleeping arrangements. For starters, her sleeping bag did not move with her when she shifted beneath the fabric. And another thing, her pillow was not this hard, and it was definitely not heated.

Groggy awakening became full alertness in a second. Kagome's eyes snapped open and, much to her chagrin, she discovered that her heated pillow was actually Sesshomaru's thigh and her moving blanket was the length of soft fur that was wrapped around her body. She drew in a short, startled breath and tensed her body to pull away, but before she could act, she heard his voice.

"Be still, priestess. Sudden movements will reopen you wound."

Kagome took a deep breath to steady her racing heart, and then slowly began to carefully lift herself from where she had been resting. But no matter how slow or deliberate her motions, the second she had shifted she felt pain ripping across her shoulder. She ground her teeth as she fought through the pain, and managed to raise herself to a sitting position. Once settled, she took the time to survey the damage left to her from the elemental's spear attack. She looked to her shoulder, but was surprised to find that her white blouse had been carefully cut away at the arm and that the wound had been bound tightly with clean gauze wrappings from her own medical supplies.

"You did this?" she asked as she turned her attention to Sesshomaru. She was still trying to get over the fact that she had woken up in his lap, and her addled brain couldn't quite process why a youkai who had no need of first aid treatment would know how to dress a wound so well.

Sesshomaru did nothing but arch an eyebrow at her before leaning back against the tree he had been resting against. "You require treatment often," he observed dryly as he turned his attention to the leaping flames of the dying fire.

"Oh," Kagome blushed slightly and lowered her eyes to her hands on her lap. Leave it to him to be able to perfectly dress a wound after only have observed her doing it a couple of times. "Thank you," she whispered quietly.

When it became obvious that Sesshomaru wasn't going to respond, Kagome began fidgeting. Of course, the slight movement of her frame brought her attention again to the length of fur that was wrapped around her body. She blinked a few times in confusion as she looked at it. There was something different about the way it looked. The pristine white fur was tinted a slight rosy color, but the coloring was not stationary, it seemed to shift as though it were weaving its way through the delicate strands of fur. Tentatively, she wrapped her hands around the silken fibers and started pulling it away, but she had only just touched it when the whole length of it tightened around her and held her still.

"It would be best," Sesshomaru was speaking to her, yet still he refused to look at her, "If you did not do that."

"Why?"

It was a simple question, but one which Sesshomaru had no desire to answer. Still, he knew that he could not avoid this truth any longer. "Your blood was fighting against the poison that I injected into you, however, your body was reacting violently. This was the only way to keep you calm."

"This?" Kagome asked speculatively as she began running her fingers through the soft length of fur. "But…how?"

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and leaned his head back to rest against the tree behind him. But though his body seemed to relax, the slight rolling of the tensing muscles of his jaw gave away his discomfort. "Can you not see it, miko?" he finally asked. "Can you not feel it?"

Kagome drew her brows together in confusion. See what? Feel what? She looked down again to the fur wrapped around her body, but as she did, the soft rose color that had been shifting through the fibers had risen up, now dancing as a vibrant red against the stark white fur. She could feel the heat of the energy washing across her skin, but it wasn't painful. It surrounded her, brushed against her skin in soothing waves, and filled her entire being with a peaceful calm. Without thinking, she relaxed into it. It was coaxing her into its embrace, lulling her to forget her worries and fears and to feel only the calm. It was a blanket of protection, a gentle warmth to ease her fears, a soft melody of shifting powers that spoke to her own in dancing motions and whispers of touch.

But after only a moment of the gentle waves of warmth, the dancing energy pulled back, fading again to the soft rose color shifting through the silken fibers of the fur surrounding her. "This is…you…" Kagome whispered in awe as she brushed her hand against the soft fur.

She could still feel the calming touch coursing through her. Though not as strong as it was before, still it filled her with warmth, soft and assuring. It wasn't just coming from him, she realized, but it was within her as well, flowing through her very being, soothing even the restless energies of her spirit. Dazedly, she brought her hand out in front of herself, flexing it a few times to draw her energies to the surface. Her powers glowed brightly in the dim of the night, but even so, within the brilliant blue hues, she could see the tiny wisps of red that threaded through the light, adding strength and courage, determination and resolve, power that had not been there before, power that had come from him, that he had given to her.

"But…why? And…how?"

"It is merely an extension of my aura," he replied slowly as his eyes slipped open to take in the view of the night sky above the trees. "It is used to bring a sense of security and comfort to pack mates when they feel threatened or are under duress."

"Like a hug?"

A slight shifting of his eyes brought the miko into view again, and Sesshomaru allowed one of his eyebrows to lift in mild curiosity over the girl's attempt to simplify the complexities of youkai pack marking. "It is much more complex than that," he finally told her, "But, if you so insist, then yes, like a hug."

"You did this before, didn't you? That night on the mountain, I felt it then too but I didn't know what it was." A barely discernable nod was all the answer that Kagome was going to get from Sesshomaru, but it had been enough. "Is this what Toga saw?" she continued questioning him. "Is this the mark he was talking about?" Again Sesshomaru nodded, but that only brought up a more pressing question in Kagome's mind. "But if this is all it is, then why did he call me his daughter?"

Sesshomaru's eyes widened in shock, and Kagome watched with growing interest and excitement as the markings on his skin deepened in color. She was really starting to see why Toga had said this explanation was going to be one for the books. Who knew Sesshomaru could blush?

"He was being presumptuous," was the eventual reply from Sesshomaru, his voice tightened by the slight traces of annoyance, "Like usual."

Kagome shook her head slightly at his response. "I don't get it," she finally ventured. "I mean, I get what he was implying, but I don't get why he would think that."

"It is highly unusual for someone to bear a pack mark if they are not an immediate member of the pack."

"You mean, like family? Children and…" Kagome paused to fight off her own blush. It didn't work, but she pressed on anyways, "…mates?"

Sesshomaru didn't answer, but when Kagome saw the crimson hues of his markings take on a shade so dark they seemed almost black in the shadows of the night, she had all the answers she needed. Of course, being that she had never in her life believed that she would see the great and terrible Sesshomaru blush, she couldn't help the light giggles that shook through her because of it. Her reaction earned her a most frigid glare, but she really couldn't help it, and laughed even harder.

"S…sorry," she finally managed a weak apology once her laughter had been reigned in, "But you really are a lot like your father."

His father? He had thought his father foolish. To protect humans, to work with them, to live with them, to love them; it was a fool's errand. Such fleeting lives, such fragile bodies, such susceptible hearts and minds. And yet, his father would say that they were a part of the world, that they had been born of the land and the elements; that they would give back to them in turn. He had never understood, never seen the wisdom in his father's words; not until he had met her.

Had it been the same for his father? Had he found the brilliance that was this incredible woman? Had he seen her light and been in awe, felt her touch and known true warmth? Had he loved her as well? Had he known that he was killing him by sending her to him again? Was it another test, another game to see what more he could take from him?

He had taken from him sight and sound and smell when he was still a boy. The hunter had become the hunted. And when he had grown, he had become the prey yet again. His strength and powers were stripped from him and he was thrown into the dark pits of the mines. Only creatures of unimaginable horror lurked there. They were monsters created by hatred and greed, of wrath and malice. They cared nothing, for anything but to see more suffering spread. They wanted to kill him, to snare him in their hideous maws and grasping talons, to make him one with the dark as they were.

'_Be worthy of the strengths you are given. Doubt yourself; doubt the strength of your heart, and you will die a worse death than what waits for you in the pits.'_

Training, he would have called it. But it was no training. His strength, his speed, his control over the poisons of his blood; every weapon he possessed had been stripped from him, leaving him with only his claws and his mind and his determination to wipe that fucking smirk off of his father's face when he climbed his way out of those hell caverns and spit blood in his face. He had barely made it out alive. He had dragged himself, broken and torn beyond all recognition, from out of the depths; but he had done what all along he had promised himself, and he would never forget the look on his father's face when he was forced to wipe his own son's blood away from himself.

And that had been the moment he knew that he had won. No matter how badly he had been injured, no matter how long it would take him to heal; he had won. He had hurt his father more than those beasts could ever have. It was his heart, his weak heart that broke under the attack.

Break the heart and you break the man.

Sesshomaru had learned his lesson well that day, and he swore to himself right then that he would never fall into the same traps as his father. He would never allow himself to hold such weaknesses. He would use the power that was his to make his own path, never allowing it to be broken by such a weakness. But all of that had changed on the day she came to him. The miko had changed everything, and he had never had a say in the matter. It had been his father's doing, his last testament; and Sesshomaru was loosing the battle, had lost it long ago.

A small cough from beside him pulled his thoughts back to the miko. She was clearing her throat, preparing herself to speak through her nervousness; and Sesshomaru knew the question she was going to ask. "So…" it was a slow drawl perpetuated by both her reluctance to actually voice this question aloud and her uncertainty as to weather or not she wanted to hear the answer, "What does that make me?"

"Neither. I had already identified you as pack when I was only a pup. It was only natural that I care for you as such when you were in need."

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth either. She was his. She had been his since that day she came to him as a pup. Then she had been the one to bring him play and fun, to tell him stories of far off days, terrible battles, and love that could transcend even the most unbreakable of barriers. Then she had been the one to lead him, to teach him.

When she had come again, she had been the mystery, the enigma, the Warrior Priestess from the tales of his youth. She was power and spirit, conviction and faith. She was the fragile heart that spoke to his with more than words. But she had also been the one to deny him, and the only one ever close enough to betray him. She had broken him in a way he had promised himself he would never know. She had been the one to make him see the strength that can be born of the heart, and the pain that one must endure when it is broken.

Then she had been his enemy. She had been his anger and his wrath. She had been the one thing that he would have given anything to forget. But she had survived his attacks just as she had been destined to. She had been his failure, his inability to see past the anger and the misunderstandings. She had been the one that made him wish that things could be different.

And now, she was the one that would break him again. She was his, his family, his pack, his Kagome. She was his to protect, to care for, to…

But she would go, she would leave him again; and there was nothing he could do to stop her. She would go back to her mission, to her destiny, to the Shikon no Tama that was the only thing tying her to this land, to this era. No, not the only thing. Her heart held her here as well. That was why she always returned, that was why she risked her life so many times to bring peace back to a world that was not her own. For him. For the one that she had stood beside all this time, for the one that she would give more than a jewel and more than a promise. She loved him, his own brother. She loved him, and she would go back to him once their journey was over.

And he would let her go. He could not, would not, be the one to stand in the way of what her heart desired.

"Sesshomaru?" He suppressed a shiver as her hands started stroking through his fur upon asking her question, and turned to her again. "If you knew something," she started once she had his attention. "If you knew that something incredible could happen but that the cost for it would be terrible." He wondered absently if she knew how difficult it was to listen to her when she was stroking him in such a way, and then what her reaction would be if she were to find out why. He would have bet his left arm that it would be damn funny. Oh, wait; he didn't have a left arm. Pity. "If you knew that you had the power to change it, what would you do?"

Having decided that one more delicate stroke from the miko's little fingers would put him in a rather embarrassing situation, Sesshomaru began unwrapping the length of fur from her body. She had long since calmed anyways, and he had no more excuses for having her so close to him. It was enough, he decided. He would be able to remember this night, and that was enough.

Come tomorrow there would be no more room for error, no more place for heart.

He could feel it already, feel the slow draining against his power levels. His senses had been dulled to nothing better than a mortal's, and now his powers were ebbing too. By morning he would no longer control the air, by night his poison would be set to sleep. His speed and strength would go last, but he had no doubts that the witch would seek them as well. If she didn't make her move soon, things were going to get ugly.

But he still had tonight.

"Fate chooses her toys," he told Kagome gently as he stood, "But ultimately it is we that shall write our own destiny. The future, no matter how much we think we may know of it, has still yet to be written. Your choices in your life have brought you to where you are today; and it shall remain them, and only them, which will create the path for you to walk into tomorrow."

One last time he allowed himself to look at her. Without the barriers between them, without the distrust and the anger; he looked at her with open eyes and an open heart. She was so beautiful. Her raven hair spilled down over her shoulders in rippling waves, coming to rest against the soft curves of her body. Her arms had been wrapped around her delicate waist to fight off the lingering chill left when he had pulled his warmth away from her, and her long legs were tucked neatly under her, as always showing too much skin, but as always very appreciated. But it was her eyes that he would loose himself in. They were more precious than gems, glinting with light moisture under the soft light of the stars, so deep a blue that he could drown in their depths, so filled with emotion that he could spend an eternity of watching the dance of her shifting energies beneath the surface as they reacted to her loving heart and never come close to understanding.

But time was something they would not have. Time would steal her from him again. Time would take her back to the destiny long foretold for her, one in which he played no part. His time with her was at its end.

He turned from her then, knowing that no more could be gained from indulging in something that would soon be nothing more than a memory, but her small voice from behind him made him pause

"He told me to follow my heart. Inuyasha…he said that it would always lead me down the right path."

Sesshomaru's hand clenched at his side. His claws pierced through his skin, drawing blood to flow; but he welcomed the pain, the distraction from what was tearing within. "For once," his voice was strained, fighting to keep the angry vibrations shaking through his frame from tearing into it, "It seems my brother and I are in agreement."

And with that, he left her. He left her with a promise to himself that he would not let her break him again. Come tomorrow they would resume their journey, but if they had any hope of being able to complete this mission with their lives then he would have to sever his ties with her. Even a single moment of distraction in the battles to come would prove fatal. Without his abilities, he would need to focus all of his skill. He could not allow her to serve as his weakness or they would both be lost.

So he left her to gather his thoughts, to strengthen his resolve. He would spend the rest of the night in deep meditation and in training. He would focus his mind for battle, commit himself to the routines; encase himself in the barriers he had too long allowed to become slack in her presence. She would hate him for it, he knew; but it was the only way.

But he still had this night, the memories of a time when he had held her, watched the angel in her sleep, been with her through her struggles, given her support and strength in such an intimate way. His heart already mourned for her, clenched in agony with each pulse, setting his blood on fire in protest. But the last drop of blood spilt from his hand before his demonic healing closed the wound, was the last tear his heart would shed for the woman that was his and was never meant to be so.

Tears of the disenchanted.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

I don't really know what to say now. I think I'm a little torn with this chapter. Part of me hates it for once again keeping painful barriers between them; but part of me loves it because it shows how much he would sacrifice, how much pain he is willing to endure just to make sure she was safe, even if he has to protect her from himself. Still, Toga's lesson was not out of cruelty or malice. He was preparing his son for the pain he knew he would face, hoping to find a way to break the chaotic spin of fate. Sadly though, many of life's lessons we can not gain from those who would teach us. We can not be prepared for how deeply they will affect us, or how much pain they will bring. But it is the pain that lets us know we are alive, and without it we would never know joy, never feel love, never live at all.

LOL well now, I just have to stop writing past midnight! Things just start getting….weird ;P

Well, I'm off.

Till next time

Shadow


	28. Tears of the Thankful

Tears of the Relieved

Tears of the Thankful

Kagome had woken early from her healing slumber and set about her morning chores, all the while wearing a gentle smile that would not leave her lips. The events of last night would not leave her mind, the warm feeling of his mark still coursed through her body, and even though he was not in the camp when she had awoken, the feeling of Sesshomaru's aura nearby gave her a sense of peace and joy that she couldn't even begin to describe.

She would tell him, she decided; tell him of what she had seen in the future, in their future. Would he believe her? Probably not, she thought with a light shaking of her head as her smile grew even wider, but it didn't matter. She would make him believe, because she wanted to, because her heart told her that this was the path that she should be walking upon, that her future would begin and end with him.

After cleaning herself in a nearby stream, changing the wrappings on the wound in her shoulder, and striking the fire to begin cooking breakfast, Rin had awoken. Together, the girls consumed their light morning meal amongst happy chatter and playful banter with the lumpy toad that had finally managed to rouse himself. By the time breakfast had been eaten and the dishes cleaned and packed back in Kagome's large bag, Sesshomaru returned to the camp.

"Good morning," Kagome called cheerfully when she saw him approaching.

Sesshomaru came to a stop upon hearing Kagome's greeting. His eyes shifted to her, distant and cold, removed of everything but for the critical detachment that took in his surroundings. "You will ride on Ah-Un with Rin," he told her, the smooth tenors of his voice never wavering from the edge of ice. "We must make up for lost time." He stopped, the hardened gold of his eyes leaving the stunned miko to find the groveling imp. "Jaken, scout ahead. Find a cave at the end of the river valleys suitable for shelter. If you do not return by midday with an acceptable report, do not bother to return."

"Y…yes, Sesshomaru-sama," the little toad squeaked. He paused only for a moment to see if his Lord had any further orders, but when Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed slightly, turning his cool gaze to a frigid glare, the imp's eyes bulged in frightened understanding and he scrambled as fast as his little legs would carry him out of the camp. He knew that if he did not complete this order to his Lord's standards, that his life would be forfeit; and he had no intention of failing his beloved Lord.

"Sesshomaru?" Timid and uncertain as to the sudden change in the youkai, Kagome tried to speak with him.

But Sesshomaru paid her no more heed. He turned his back to her even as he issued his final order. "Do not waste time, we leave."

TTTTTTTTTT

Travel went quickly that day, albeit silently. Rin, for her part, seemed mostly unperturbed by her Lord's distance, but she had quieted from her jubilance and stopped in her play, contenting herself to ride along on Ah-Un. She never complained and she never voiced any hesitations, she merely was and was happy to be so.

Kagome, on the other hand, was not content with the silence, and she was far from happy.

When she looked at Sesshomaru now, though he was waking only paces ahead, he seemed miles away. There was nothing in his eyes but for cold determination. He looked ahead and never back, his attention focused solely on the path he walked and nothing would distract him from it. He was distant, removed; cold even. He displayed none of the distraction she had seen the other day, there was no trace of any emotion in his carriage or his expression. He reminded her of how he had seemed when she had first met him: the Aristocratic Assassin, the Killing Perfection, the cold hearted demon Lord that cared for nothing and no one.

But she knew he was not that. She knew that he had emotions; she knew that he had a heart. She had seen it with her own eyes, felt his gentle touch, his soothing and comforting aura. Why would he seek to hide it again? Why had he pulled back now when she was finally starting to see what it was she was destined to find? Why was he shutting her out? What purpose would it serve now that they had been through so much together?

It didn't make any sense. She couldn't understand. But no matter what she did to try and get him to talk to her, Sesshomaru either ignored her completely or shut down her questioning with words so hard and so cold that there was no mistaking the threat issued for her without him ever having to say it aloud.

Eventually, Kagome gave up trying to get him to speak or trying to figure out what had happened during the night to make him act in such a way. Withy a heavy heart, she resigned herself to complete the day's travel in uncomfortable silence. She tried to focus her thoughts on the days to come, on the battles that they would soon be engaging in; but no matter how much she tried, she could not sway her thoughts from him for long.

By midday, as it had been ordered, Jaken returned with his report. He had found a large cavern etched in the stone face of the river valley that overlooked the swamplands below. The little imp beamed with pride as he conveyed the events of his discovery, his croaking speech filled with exuberance as he told his Lord how he had cleared the cavern of the hoard of giant cockroaches that had called the dark confines of the cave their home until they met with his staff of two heads. But not even halfway through the toad's report, Sesshomaru had turned his attention away from him and started walking again.

Seeing the crestfallen look that took over the little youkai's features, Kagome knew that she had to do something about it. She may have not liked the little imp very much, but even he didn't deserve to be treated so poorly. She slid off Ah-Un's saddle and walked briskly to catch up with Sesshomaru. "That wasn't very nice," she told him heatedly once she was walking beside him. "The toad was only doing what you asked and you didn't even acknowledge the danger he put himself in to carry out your orders!"

"It is not your place to question this Sesshomaru, miko," he informed her curtly. "Now leave me."

"What's your problem?" Kagome hissed in anger as she pulled herself in front of Sesshomaru to draw him to a stop. "All day you've been acting like a frigid asshole! What's changed since last night to make you act this way?" Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed dangerously on her, but Kagome didn't budge. She was going to get some answers.

His hand lifted from his side, making the young miko flinch back instinctively from the dangerous youkai. However, Sesshomaru had already dismissed her. His hand threaded through his hair, flicking it back over his shoulder in a passive gesture of nonchalance as his gaze lifted to the distance beyond. "I do not answer to you," he told her evenly as he sidestepped around her and continued walking.

"H…Hey!" Kagome stuttered as she spun around. "Don't you walk away from me!" she cried in outrage. But her protests fell on deaf ears, and Sesshomaru continued walking ahead, unbothered or uncaring of the effect it was having on the woman he was leaving behind.

"Miss Kagome," Rin's voice pulled the young miko's attention to her. "We must get going," she urged as she gestured for her friend to take her place on the dragon with her. "Lord Sesshomaru has little patience for delays."

"That's not all that ice cube of a dog has too little of," Kagome grumbled angrily.

But the girl was right; they needed to continue on their journey. With a heavy sigh, Kagome pulled herself up onto the back of the dragon, securing her place in his saddle, and they set off again towards their destination.

TTTTTTTTTT

By sunset, they had reached the end of the barren planes. They had followed one of the river valleys down through a deep ravine and emerged from the surrounding rock faces at the edge of the swamplands. The marsh stretched out before them in a sprawling mass of tangled trees and vines, the green so thick it seemed suffocating. But it was not only the thick growth that gave warning to this place. The entire swamp pulsed with life. Big and small, threatening and not; but all the same: alive.

For Kagome, standing on the edge of the swamp and scanning ahead with her miko senses, she was nearly overwhelmed by the pulse of living things in the mire. To her, it seemed as though the very land breathed, as though the trees, the insects, the animals, and the youkai living within the tangled masses and dampened earth all thrived as a single entity.

But combined with the shiver of unease coursing through her with the thought of having to travel through that place, she also felt a rush of exhilaration. Beyond the swamplands, rising up into the clouds in the distance, the jagged peaks of the misted mountains could be seen through the shifting fog. They were nearly there. The weapon they sought would soon be found. Their journey was nearly at its end.

Kagome looked ahead to Sesshomaru. She knew that she needed to speak with him, if for nothing else than to prepare herself for the days ahead. Still, she was uncertain how he would react to her. The last time she had tried to bring him back from such a removed state, he had reacted violently and they had argued fiercely. She didn't want Rin to be exposed to such a thing. The girl thought her Lord to be just this side of complete and utter perfection, she idolized him; and Kagome didn't want to break the faith of such a special child.

So, she settled for waiting. She set up camp within the confines of the cavern Jaken had led them to. Now cleared of any threats, and filled with a strangely pleasant aroma of fried chicken that Kagome tried desperately to take at face value and not for the truth that it was likely due to the crispified cockroaches Jaken had disposed of earlier; the cavern was quite pleasant.

A fire was struck and their evening meal prepared, but even through the strung silence caused by the Taiyoukai standing watch at the entrance of the cave, a feeling of warmth and companionship settled around the small fire. As night fell, the long day of traveling started to catch up with them, and soon both Rin and Jaken had drifted off to sleep.

For a time, Kagome sat watching the fire, trying to sort through her thoughts. Sesshomaru hadn't once moved from his watch. He hadn't even entered the cave except for when they had first arrived when he scanned the small enclosure for any residual threats. He was forcing himself to keep his distance, keeping them all locked in uncomfortable silence; and Kagome could not, would not let it endure any longer.

Eventually, she managed to steel her resolve. She got up from her seat by the warm fire and started making her way towards the entrance of the cave. She hadn't even made it within ten feet of Sesshomaru when he spoke, causing her to falter in her step.

"Leave me, miko. I want not for your presence."

Outraged at the fact he hadn't even let her speak and seething with the knowledge that he had dismissed her yet again, Kagome clenched her hands tightly and bit hard on her tongue to keep herself from exploding at him in fury. She tilted her chin up in defiance and started to move forward again, her steps determined and strong.

She set herself firmly beside him, not bothering to look at him because she knew she would find nothing different than the blank mask she had seen all day. She didn't bother speaking just yet; she knew she would receive nothing in the way of a response anyways. So, she settled on looking out across the vast sprawl of the swampland below, shifting carefully through the different presences and power sources playing across her senses.

For a long time she said nothing, did nothing but stand there picking out different areas of danger and certain auras she had no desire to encounter. But she knew that searching through auras wasn't giving her any real indication of what they were facing. She had to ask Sesshomaru what they were up against, and that meant finding a way to break through the chilling silence.

Finally, after realizing the only way to go about it was to just get started, Kagome spoke. "There's youkai in the swamp," she stated passively, almost as naturally as discussing the weather. She shifted her eyes to look at Sesshomaru. He hadn't moved, hadn't acknowledged her in any way, but Kagome wasn't finished. "Lots of them," her voice had darkened, and a wicked smirk began puling on her lips. She raised an eyebrow suggestively at Sesshomaru, trying to coax him into the game. "I bet some of them are cats, too." She turned slightly, tilting her head to the side to get a better view of his face. "Do you like cats, Sesshomaru?"

When still he didn't move, not even the slightest twitching of his cold glare at the swampland below, Kagome pursed her lips to prevent scowling in aggravation. She turned back to look over the swamp, but soon she was struck with another idea to get him to speak to her.

"Can you sense that one?" she asked as she pointed into the trees, moving her finger slowly to trace the path of the aura, "I bet that one's a cat. Slow but sleek, its movements deliberate: a predator."

She turned back to him, but he still showed no signs that he was listening to her, or that he had even bothered to detect the youkai stalking through the trees in the far distance. Kagome did scowl this time and moved in front of him, but still his sight remained trained beyond her, refusing to acknowledge her presence.

"I'm not walking into that place without knowing what's waiting for me," she told him firmly as she crossed her arms over her chest in steadfast defiance. "You can give me the silent treatment later, but I need to know what we're up against this time. You, of all people, should know the importance of that."

Kagome watched as Sesshomaru's eyes slowly shifted, moving from staring blankly towards the swamps to look up at the sprawling peaks of the misted mountains in the distance. "The swamps are not more than a nuisance," he replied eventually, his tone even, detached. "The cats will keep their distance so long as they are not provoked. They do not wish for death. Occasionally, the lizard youkai of the marsh can prove obstacles, but never so big they can not be cut down with ease. Watch your footing for softened ground, and do not think to approach the fetid waters."

He paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing marginally as his gaze upon the misted mountains hardened to one of cold anger. "You will retrieve your amulet from Rin." He ordered sternly when he spoke again. "The dragon guarding the mountain is capable of stripping your skin to the bone with its fire attacks. It is fast and sleek, so nimble it is capable of flight even in the treacherous peaks of the misted mountains."

"Another dragon?" Kagome asked in disbelief. She had had quite enough of dragons. They were way more powerful than the standard youkai she was accustomed to facing. She had no issues with facing the beasts of the mire, but another dragon? "Wait a minute. You said the 'dragon guarding the mountain' didn't you? But what is it guarding?" She stopped suddenly to narrow her eyes angrily at the youkai in front of her. "You let a dragon loose in the mountains!" she screamed in outrage.

Sesshomaru growled fiercely and turned on her, his arm shooting out and locking his claws around her neck. "Never question this Sesshomaru." He told her in a dangerously low tone. "If you were not imperative to finding the weapon, I would have disposed of you long ago. Whatever leniencies I have shown you, whatever comforts I have offered, have been solely to ensure your cooperation. But you, human, are overstepping your bounds. I answer to no one. I am not that filthy hanyou for you to bend to your every whim."

Kagome began struggling against his hold when the pressure he was applying started increasing. "You're…hurting me…" she choked out as her hands wrapped around his wrist in a futile attempt to pull the painful pressure away.

"If this is what it takes for you to learn your place, then so be it." His grip tightened even more, his point emphasized with a sharp shake that stole her breath as she cried out in pain. "Remember this, miko. Remember how weak your human flesh is when placed against my claws. Remember what it is you are speaking to." He pulled her forcefully towards himself, lowering his head and sweeping his tongue out to drag across her cheek, stinging her skin with tiny droplets of poison as the roughened surface passed painfully across her sensitive flesh.

"A predator."

His voice pressing against her ear was deep, a rumble so shaken by the fierce growl reverberating through his chest that Kagome couldn't suppress the cold shiver of terror that snaked through her spine in response to it. But then, just like that, he was gone. The pressure against her neck was released and Kagome dropped to the ground to gasp frantically for air.

"What's wrong with you??" Kagome screamed out into the night when her voice was under her control again, but Sesshomaru had long since left.

She couldn't understand what had happened to him. It had only been last night when he had held her, given her comfort, spoken to her so gently and so reassuringly. She had felt so safe with him, so warm, so…right. She had wanted to tell him what she knew, what she had seen, what was possible if only they were to find their way past the barriers keeping them apart. She wanted to reach out to him, to tell him that she was here with him, that he didn't have to face the coming battles alone, that she would be by his side, that she wanted to be, that after all this time, after so much had happened between them, that she…that she…

But he had pulled back from her again, removed himself to the immobile island, lashed out at her in cold fury. He was acting as though he was angry at her, angry at himself even. Could it be that he regretted having to give her such supports, that he resented having placed her within such a place in his pack? Did he really feel nothing for her; want nothing more to do with her? Had everything she seen really been some false hope, a ridiculous twist in fate's sick game?

And she had believed it! She had seen impossible things and thought nothing of it! Sango as a general in Sesshomaru's army? Inuyasha and Sesshomaru acting civilly towards each other? Her and Sesshomaru being mates? Having a child? It was laughable! It would never happen. He would never do such things, never say such things. He would never…

"I'm such a fool," she whispered dejectedly as she lowered her head into her hands.

"Miss Kagome?"

The little voice sounding out from right beside her startled Kagome so badly she nearly lost her balance. Her head shot up and snapped quickly, wide-eyed towards the little girl that had spoken. "Rin?" she breathed a slight sigh of relief. "You startled me. I thought you were sleeping."

Rin tilted her head slightly to the side as she looked at her miko friend. "No," she stated passively, almost airily in the light tone, "Rin was waiting."

"Waiting?" Kagome asked as her eyebrows drew together in confusion, "Waiting for what?"

Rin blinked, her eyes shifting to look out of the cavern entrance. "He can not find it because he does not want to look," she said quietly before she turned back to Kagome. She lifted her arm and held it out, revealing the pendant settled in her little hand. "Lord Sesshomaru wants you to have this."

Kagome lifted an eyebrow curiously over the child's strange behavior, thinking that perhaps spending so much time with a tantrum toad and a frigidly impassive Lord had warped her little mind. But still, knowing that even thinking such things was terribly rude, Kagome offered the girl a warm smile as she reached out and accepted the amulet. "Thank you, Rin," she said quietly as she strung the pendant around her neck. Once she had finished, she looked back to Rin only to find the child looking at her strangely. "Rin?" she asked hesitantly, "Is there something you…umm…wanted to talk to me about?"

"Inu no Taisho," the girl said quietly, "He was Lord Sesshomaru's father, is that right?"

Kagome blinked. "Yes…" she replied slowly.

"And you have met him?" Rin asked; her head tilting slightly as she waited for an answer.

"Yes…"

"What was he like?"

Kagome was somewhat thrown back by the unusual line of questioning, but it seemed to her that Rin was asking these questions in earnest, and she really wanted to know the answers. After taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Kagome stood and offered Rin her hand. "Let's talk by the fire, alright?" Rin nodded and took the offered hand, letting the young miko to lead her back to her bed roll. Once they were both seated comfortably beside the small fire, Kagome took another deep breath and began.

"Inu no Taisho was a great youkai. He was a general, a great leader of his kind. He was feared and respected throughout the land. Humans and youkai alike offered up praise to the great Inu. He ruled over the Western lands, the same lands that Sesshomaru holds now. But he was more than a ruler, and more than a powerful youkai. He once saved all the lands from a terrible evil. The sword known as So'unga, the blade of the Underworld, sparked a great many wars to break over the land. They were called the wars of World Conquest They were terrible and bloody battles as men and youkai sought the right to wield the unimaginable power of the cursed blade. Inu no Taisho was the one to bring the wars to an end. Using the swords crafted from his own fangs, Tetsusaiga of the earth and Tenseiga of heaven, He brought So'unga under his control, ending its terrible reign and bringing peace back to the land."

"No, Kagome," Rin sighed as she shook her head. "Rin does not want to hear the stories. Rin wants to know what HE was like." She lifted her eyes to Kagome's, wide and pleading. "Please, Kagome. Rin must know."

"Alright," Kagome stated softly, as her countenance shifted to one of concern. "I'll tell you, Rin. But if I do, will you tell me why it is so important for you to know?" Rin nodded then sat perfectly still, waiting to hear what she wanted. Kagome eyed the girl once more curiously before she began.

"I met him a long, long time ago, before Sesshomaru was even born. When he was younger, he was…free. He expressed himself openly and honestly. He never hid what he was feeling. But at the same time, he was complex. He was very intelligent, had knowledge in many things; but he was still open to receive new ideas. Even then he was a strategist, knowing when to ask questions and when to use other persuasions. But at the same time he was kind. He smiled openly and often, he laughed and joked. He was…my friend. I didn't know him very long, but he shared something with me that I could never forget."

Kagome paused, idly fingering the pendant hanging around her neck as she thought back on her time with Toga. A wash of sorrow had come over her, choking her last words with the painful knowledge that Toga was gone from this world, but slowly, as a tender smile spread on her lips, the pain cleared away, leaving her only with a feeling of warmth. She had that time with him. She would never forget. He had touched her heart, given her new faith. And somehow, even though it seemed impossible for her to know, she knew that he had sent her on this mission because he loved her, because somehow they shared more than a chance encounter.

And she had been right. When she had met him again, he had called her daughter. He had offered her his gift of love, and she had loved him in return.

"When I met him again," Kagome continued telling her story; only she did so with a smile that lit her whole face, "He was the general. He had made his place in the world, even started a family. But still, underneath all that hard armor and the image of nobility, he was still the same man. We spoke of time and philosophies, of life and of love; and we laughed and joked and played with his rambunctious pup. He was a good man, Rin. He loved his sons, all of his family. And I loved him, I love him still. He became the father I did not know and the confidant that I needed whom could always point me down the right path with his kind words and his soothing touch."

By the time she had finished, the smile lighting Rin's little face and the shining light in her eyes that spoke of discovery, had Kagome wondering all over again what the girl's intentions had been for making her tell her such things. "Rin," she asked slowly, "What is it?"

"Rin has a story too," she said quietly. "Would Kagome like to hear it?"

"Of course I would, Rin."

Rin folded her hands together in her lap, her eyes locked on them as she quietly began to tell her story.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Not long after Rin met Lord Sesshomaru, she was attacked by wolves. They chased her, making Rin very scared. Rin knew that if she could only get to Lord Sesshomaru that she would be safe, so she ran as fast as she could. But then, something happened. Rin tripped and fell to the ground. She remembers being very scared, but then everything went away. There were no more wolves, and no more fear.

When Rin opened her eyes, she was standing in front of a bright light. She knew that she must walk towards it, so she did. Rin walked and walked, feeling warm and happy in the light. But then, suddenly, a man came out of the light and stopped Rin. He reminded Rin of Lord Sesshomaru; he looked very much like him. But this man, he was smiling. He seemed very happy to see Rin, and Rin smiled back, very happy to meet him as well.

'I've been waiting for you, little one,' the man said.

He reached out his hand, and Rin took it. He smiled and started walking with Rin back the way she came from. But as the light began to fade behind her, Rin started to see something else in front of her. She saw Lord Sesshomaru and she was happy and excited, but something about what she was seeing made Rin think.

'He looks so sad,' Rin told the man.

The man smiled and kneeled down next to Rin, 'He is sad,' he said quietly, 'He has lost his heart. Will you help him find it again?'

'How does Rin do that?' Rin asked confused.

'You must be strong, little one,' the man said to Rin. 'Look into your heart, and you will realize you have what you need.'

Rin lifted her hand and placed it over her heart. She felt it then, a tiny pulse that had not been there before. The pulse grew stronger, and turned into a beat. Rin's heart was beating in her chest, and she closed her eyes to listen. When her eyes opened again, she was no longer in the world of white with the kind man; she was with Lord Sesshomaru again."

TTTTTTTTTT

"Ever since then, Rin has been traveling with Lord Sesshomaru." Rin stopped and looked up at Kagome. "What was the nice man's name, Kagome? You know, don't you?"

"Toga…" Kagome whispered in awe and disbelief, but even so she knew it had been him.

He had come to the girl before she could cross over. He had turned her back to the world of the living just as Sesshomaru was urged by the fang he carried to bring her back. Toga had led the child to Sesshomaru, knowing that with her love she could help his son find the heart he had lost behind hardened barriers of ice so long ago.

"I have been strong, just like the nice man said," Rin continued, "But Rin can not go with Lord Sesshomaru where he is going now. Only Kagome can go." She reached forward and took Kagome's hand in hers. "Can Kagome be strong for Lord Sesshomaru when Rin can not? Will Kagome make it so he is not sad anymore?" She stopped to take control over her wavering voice. There were tears in her eyes as she pleaded with her miko friend, with the one she knew could do what she could not. "Will you help him find his heart?"

Kagome didn't know what she could say to the girl. What she was asking of her was more than she knew…or maybe…it was exactly what she knew. The girl was pleading, begging with her to heal her Lord's heart because she truly believed that she could be the one to help him find it again. Kagome could see the tears streaming down the child's face, and the sight of it pained her so greatly she was forced to fight back tears of her own. She wanted to stay strong for the child, to be worthy of having her putting such faith in her. But what she wanted more than anything was to believe that Rin was right, that she really could find the key to unlocking Sesshomaru's heart from the cage he had locked it in, that she could find in him the love that she had dreamed.

Kagome reached forward and gathered Rin into her arms, soothing the girl gently with soft motions of her hands. "I'll try, Rin," she whispered quietly into the child's ear. "I'll try." She could feel the soft heaving of the girl's chest against her as she sobbed her relief. And even through her blouse she could feel the hot moisture that fell against her as it spilled from the child's eyes.

Tears of the thankful.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Rin is just so cute!! And Sesshomaru…well…he's an ass. But he's a sexy ass ;P And, don't worry, there has to be a happy chapter soon. Even I can't write angst forever…wicked smirk…though I do so enjoy writing angst.

Anyways, I'm off for now. I don't really feel the need to write much after that chapter. It sorta speaks for itself.

Well, cheers all.

Shadow


	29. Tears of the Mire

Tears of the Mire

Tears of the Mire

The air in the mire hung thick and stale, and in the dark of night, the dense tangle of trees and vines winding together with their shadows created a heavy blanket of black to immerse everything. The land was slick and soft, saturated with the moisture that clung to everything. And everywhere there rung an eerie silence, pierced only by shrill shrieks of night birds, the croaking calls of the toads, and the persistent buzz of insects.

It was the silence that was most unsettling. Never had there been silence in his ears. Even if he could still hear the more distinct noises made by the mire, not being able to hear the soft rustling of creatures through the brush or even the movement of the winds above the trees, not being able to hear the beat of life running through this place; made Sesshomaru very aware of just how much the dark miko's curse was affecting him.

It was the Shikon. The witch was using the power of the Shikon to cast her spell, there was no other way she could have obtained enough dark power to do so otherwise. And she was going to pay for it. She may have been using the powers of a miko, but the witch was simply that: a witch. She squandered what power the petty jewel gave her by binding his strength, there would be no more threat from the cursed Shikon. She would make her move soon, of this he was certain. His senses may have been dulled, but his instincts were still intact.

Walking into the swamps was likely a path to walk into a trap. The beast in the planes had been unforeseen. He had thought the witch would make her move there. With so much open terrain, an attack by the serpent beasts serving the dark power of the Shikon could have been made with full force. Of course, such a thing was both expected and easily turned away by one such as himself; but Sesshomaru was highly doubtful that it had been wise strategic planning that had prevented the dark miko from making such a decision. That elemental was not a normal beast. It had not been answering to the call of the Shikon, but to something else entirely. Though he could not be certain as to the witch's reasoning, he knew that she had left them in the planes because of something to do with the elemental's appearance.

But he could not waste time debating the witch's reasoning. The planes were behind them now, and the swamps ahead. The witch knew of his dulled senses and was likely counting on them to serve as his weakness; but she would be a fool. She was still thinking too much like a human. The witch may be fueled by the spirits of demons, but she had been born of hanyou flesh and of the petty desires of a dark-hearted mortal woman. She knew nothing of him or of what he was; she knew nothing of his strengths or his weaknesses.

A soft brushing of leaves ahead of him brought Sesshomaru to a stop. He knew he had been close. The tracks he had been following were so fresh he could still see the water attempting to soak back into the compressions of soft dirt. With one quick survey of his surroundings, Sesshomaru easily saw the fresh markings scored against the twisted wood of one of the trees. His hunt had taken to the heights.

He nearly sighed. Why did cats have to be so difficult?

A soft, coaxing growl began building in the Taiyoukai's chest despite his annoyance at his pursuit. The sound spread out smoothly from him, calm and commanding, powerful and yet not threatening. 'Come out,' he was saying without words or form, 'you shall not be harmed.'

No matter how much he disliked the situation he had found himself in, Sesshomaru knew that the best way to navigate the possible traps of the mire was to have a guide who knew the terrain. The cat, though undoubtedly not his first choice, had provided the perfect candidate. It had been easy enough to find once the miko had so clearly traced its aura for him; and being that he really had no desire to be trekking through the bloody swamps all night to find the tracks of a more suitable creature, he had settled for the feline.

There was a long, stretching silence following his command, and as the moments ticked by Sesshomaru began to prepare for the cat to lunge. They really were unpredictable creatures. He could tell by the size of the tracks that this cat was no simple animal, but at the same time he knew that the youkai was very low in power and thus worked basically on instinct with very little higher functioning. Still, youkai or not, cats weren't notorious for their trusting nature, especially with those of his kind; and there was a possibility that it would attempt an attack because it felt threatened by his presence regardless of his assurances. And though the mire cat would only prove slightly more annoying than a full grown tiger…with bigger teeth…should it choose to attack, Sesshomaru knew that a submission forced upon the youkai would alienate the creature from him. Cats were highly distrustful, and loyalty for them was chosen not given out of fear or respect. If it rejected him immediately, it would likely never change its position, leaving him with few options aside from dispatching the beast and finding a new guide.

A sudden hiss broke through the silence, a low warning issued from the feline as it wound fluidly through the branches of the trees concealing it above. Sesshomaru growled in response, a warning of his own to the animal that it should think before doing anything rash to his person. He had no desire to hunt down another pursuit on this night and being forced to kill the cat or even injure it was not in his plan. He barked sharply, demanding the attention of the mire cat.

But he did not have it.

The cat hissed again and pushed off strongly from its perch in the trees, breaking through the thick covering of leaves and vines as a dark mass. Its fur was jet black, so deep it seemed to pull the shadows around it closer, creating a false illusion of size. Still, even without the illusion of its midnight fur, the youkai was impressive…for a cat. Stretching out in the air as it was, with its claws extended before it, the mire cat was likely longer than he…in this form at least. Its body was sleek, formed for both speed and strength; and even beneath the thick, dark fur, the shifting of powerful muscles could be seen as it set itself to attack.

Sesshomaru immediately stepped to the side of the attack, but even as he moved back he knew that the attack had never been meant for him.

Just as he had moved, the sound of a blade cutting through the air reached him. Sesshomaru spun quickly, catching for a moment the sight of a lizard youkai that had been following him since he had stepped into the marsh. It stood as high as him, its scaled body supported awkwardly upwards on its sticklike legs and its bulky tail. Its midsection was wrapped in a crude armor of scaled hide, no doubt the toughened skin of one of its fallen brethren. Its flat, elongated head, split by a toothless mouth that spread nearly three quarters of the creature's face, was set with a pair of dark eyes hidden deep behind a ridge of protruding scales and which flashed white as they covered over sideways to shield the creature during its attack. And in its clawed hand, glinting faintly even in the dark shadows cast by the trees of the mash, a wickedly curved blade was clutched tightly.

The lizard was a guard, an assassin perhaps; but a very poor one. The beast had no conception of stealth, and even without his sense of smell Sesshomaru was certain he could detect its foul stench. He would have dispatched the beast when he had fist detected it, but to do such would be to reveal his position and he would not do so before he determined the lizard's intent. Now though, that intent was all too obvious. It was attacking without cause or provocation and with no hope of victory. Such an attack could only have been one driven by fear, though its fear was not of him. The creature was being ordered into this assault, a fact apparent by its blind attacks and single minded determination to see them through.

In its haste to lift its blade again and make another strike at Sesshomaru, the lizard hadn't even seen the mire cat. In only a second, fierce, dark claws were ripping into the thick scales of the lizard's shoulders, pulling it towards the deadly fangs that protruded from the feline's opened jaw even as the momentum of the attack carried the pair forward to the ground. The cat had its victim's neck before it could even cry out, and by the time they had hit the ground, the lizard had taken its last breath.

With a determined rip, the cat tore what remained of the lizard's shredded throat away and lifted its head towards Sesshomaru. For a moment, it only looked at him, its eyes flickering from brief flashes of iridescent green to dark pools of jet black as it shifted its vision from the Taiyoukai to its surroundings, and its pointed ears twitching to take in the sounds of the night. Then the feline huffed shortly and moved towards him, stopping only when it was directly in front of him. It slowly lowered its head, never taking its dark eyes from the more powerful youkai, and set the piece of flesh at Sesshomaru's feet.

Sesshomaru smirked and growled at the feline softly and approvingly. He lifted his hand from his side and placed it lightly atop of the cat's head. The feline stiffened at the contact, but it allowed the gesture for the sparse moment Sesshomaru held it. The cat was accepting its position beneath him just as it had by offering of its kill, and he was offering to it a gesture of thanks as well as one of command. After holding the feline still for a moment, Sesshomaru lifted his hand and turned to begin walking back out of the swamps.

Though it was hesitant at first, its steps slow and still filled with tense readiness; the mire cat began following him. Sesshomaru paused only long enough to look back over his shoulder. He nodded shortly in approval and continued on, vaguely aware that the feline was slowly accustoming itself to walking near to him and its steps were becoming steadier and more assured. After only a few minutes had passed, the feline had even taken to winding its way through the trees, picking its own path as its sleek body twisted through the thick growth. But never did it stray far from Sesshomaru. It stayed by him like a shadow, passing through the trees soundlessly and nearly invisibly.

A predator, the miko had called it. Yes, the cat was that; but now it was also his guide and his scout; his eyes and ears in the dark of the swamp and in the silence that had descended upon his senses. But he was a predator as well, and it was high time for the hunt to begin.

TTTTTTTTTT

She stood at the edge of the murky waters, peering into their depths using more than simple senses to guide her eyes. The wind blew in a sudden gust, whipping the long, dark robes she wore around her small frame, but still she stood firm. It knew she was there. Thrashing angrily just beneath the confines of the fetid pool, the beast was stirring.

"You shall have your feast soon enough," the dark miko soothed the beast, though no comfort could be found in the deep, grating voice that could not waver from the edge of dark intent.

Suddenly her head snapped up and twisted to the side. From within the confines of her dark, hooded robes, nothing could be seen of her face but for the sharp flash of her dark eyes as they shifted to penetrating gold. Tsubaki blinked away the shifting energies, settling here eyes once more to dark pools of black before beginning to move away from the water.

She approached the Zard directly, following the putrid stench of the lizard's hide easily. When the beast was finally in view ahead of her, she allowed herself to move from the shadows of the trees. Her dark robes spilling down around her, she seemed a phantom as she parted from the deeper shadows of the night, and the Zard halted immediately.

"Missstresss," the beast hissed out in a low drone as it lowered its upper body in a stiff bow. Its eyes though, dark pools of black ink, never shifted from hers. It served her, but it did not trust her. Such matters were of little importance though. So long as the beast did her bidding, the dark miko would permit it to live. "He hasss been ssspotted in the ssswapsss."

"So it is as I thought," the dark miko mused as she allowed her gaze to shift upwards to the tangle of branches above her. Though she could not see it in the thick mass of the swamp, Tsubaki knew that the jagged peaks of the mountain range stretched above them in the distance. "Tell me Zard," she addressed the lizard, "What is it that lies in the mountains beyond?"

"Hissst!" the Zard spit angrily. "The mountainsss are cursssed! The dragon letsss none passss!"

Within the shadowing confines of her cowl, the dark miko's agitation was evident. She had expected the demon dog to attempt to track her with the help of the Shikon miko, but they had not even bothered with her. They had dismissed her presence almost entirely, their path never wavering from the course they had chosen. This was not acceptable to her, and yet, she could not deny that even with her curse working strongly against the demon dog he was still proving a force to be reckoned with.

Tsubaki had witnessed the defeat of the elemental dragon in the barren planes. She had wanted to make her move in the wasteland, allowing the hoards of serpentine beasts under her command to attack with ease; but she had been forced to withdrawal when the presence of the wind witch threatened her plans. The dark miko could not risk discovery by the previous incarnations of Naraku. Given the justifiable loathing his 'children' felt for the vile hanyou, the dark miko knew that if they were to know of her presence they would no doubt seek her out for either the jewel in her possession or to ensure that Naraku could not return. No, she would wait for such a confrontation until she had the second Shikon jewel now carried by the strange priestess. Then, even with the unwilling aid of his children, the vile Naraku would pay for his attempts of using her.

Of course, to complete her plans, Tsubaki would need to obtain the jewel; and that meant disposing of one or both of its guardians.

The dark miko's thoughts were once again drawn to the mountain in the distance. What was so important about that mountain that the demon dog would ignore the effects of her curse in favor of reaching it? What was the dragon set upon the mountain there to protect? Surely, there could be nothing so great as the magnificent jewel; but for the Shikon miko to have such a stake in the journey as well, for her to ally herself with a demon of such renowned hatred of her kind and he to allow such an alliance in turn…It was truly a puzzle. But then, Tsubaki always had enjoyed a good puzzle. And besides, a dragon presented the perfect opportunity to intensify the potency of her curse.

With a plan already beginning to form in her mind, the dark miko turned back to the Zard to convey her final orders to the beast. "The clearing just beyond these trees is where you and your brethren shall confront the dog. Have your scouts lead them in from a distance, but do not allow them to approach. He will know they are there even without his senses."

She paused for a moment to reach into her dark robes, pulling out a dark sliver glowing with malice. "I assume you know what this is?" she asked the Zard, not bothering to wait for an answer as she could easily see the wicked gleam in its eyes at the sight of a piece of the Shikon. "This shall enable you to pass by the barrier surrounding the miko. I want her alive, but kill the other. Understood?"

"Yesss Missstresss."

The Zard lowed himself again as he accepted the piece of the jewel offered to him, but the moment the dark miko had turned from him, her cloaked form fading once again into the shadows, the lizard straitened and his black eyes narrowed in resentment and fury. The witch believed he and his brethren could be controlled, that they were expendable; but they would show her. The witch was not the only creature in the swamps that was capable of detecting the presence of the Shikon, and the Zard knew well that the one approaching the swamp was stronger than the one held by the dark witch.

The Zard allowed himself a deep, hissing laugh as he turned and made his way back into the swamp. The dark shard of the Shikon burned savagely as he placed it against his chest. He could feel its power flowing into him, giving him new strengths. But he would not stop there. He would play his part for now, trap and capture the miko as the witch had ordered. But when she came to collect her prize, she would be the one to fall. No wretched hanyou would ever command the youkai brethren of Zards, and soon, when the power of the Shikon was in their possession, the whole world would know of their might.

TTTTTTTTTT

'This is just too weird,' was the only thought running through the young miko's head.

Ahead of her, carefully choosing their path through the twisted roots and vines and softened ground of the marsh, was Sesshomaru. He hadn't said anything to her all morning with the exception of his abrupt order for her to gather her things, a short farewell to his ward, and a stiff order conveyed with chilling promise to the little imp that he should protect Rin with nothing short of his life. But that wasn't what had the little miko weirded out by Sesshomaru's behavior. It was the fact that alongside the demon Lord, acting like, what she could only equate as, a lost puppy, was one very large, very dark, very vicious looking cat.

The mire cat had given her a start of a lifetime when she opened her eyes in the morning and was greeted with the sight of two jet black eyes that shifted with a slight green iridescence in the remaining shadows of the morning. She had just barely managed to contain her terrified scream and was less than a second away from lashing out at the youkai in sheer terror when it, in response to a deep, reverberating growl that shook through the confines of the small cave, pulled away from her, its dark body seemingly engulfed by the shadows of the cave.

Kagome had bolted up, her eyes searching frantically for the beast through the shadows. When she finally had to resort to using her miko senses to track it, she found the cat at the entrance of the cave. It was sitting stiffly by Sesshomaru's side, its dark eyes locked onto her and flashing dangerously. She had tried to ask Sesshomaru about the cat's presence, but he had dismissed her without any explanations offered, and walked away from the entrance of the cave with the mire cat trailing silently behind him.

What Sesshomaru was doing with the cat baffled the young miko nearly as much as why the cat was following him so dutifully. 'Pft,' she snorted lightly to herself, 'it's probably a female.' Of course, that thought was supposed to be humorous, what with the whole cat and dog scenario; however, Kagome couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of annoyance instead when she came back to the question of why Sesshomaru was allowing it to follow him. And her annoyance was fueled even more when the blasted dog was paying more attention to the youkai cat than he was her. She may not have been able to understand what they were saying to each other, but she had heard Sesshomaru speak with Ah-Un before in the light vibrations and growls of demon tongue, and she was all but certain that the cat had conversed more with Sesshomaru on this day than she had.

So preoccupied by her own disgruntled thoughts, Kagome hardly noticed the wavering of her barrier around her. She was quick to pick up on her distraction though when she saw Sesshomaru stiffen slightly following a low hissing growl coming from the feline. She watched as he lifted his head and turned to look into the tangle of trees to his left, and then turn back to the cat and give it an authoritative sounding growl. The cat responded immediately, moving away from Sesshomaru's side and slipping silently into the shadows cast by the trees.

Curious, Kagome followed the path of the cat, stretching out beyond it with her miko senses. Almost immediately she detected the presence of another creature. It was keeping itself concealed within the trees, but its path in parallel with theirs. It was following them, she realized suddenly. Of course, having demons stalking her was not a new experience for the young miko, but having them follow without the apparent intention of attack was bothering.

Suddenly, a massive surge of energy tore across her senses. She felt anxiety, then pain, and then nothing. Kagome drew in a startled breath when she realized what had happened. The cat had taken out its target. Hastily she ripped her senses away from the now dead pursuer, but before she could pull them back completely, she sensed two more presences converging on the mire cat.

She turned her attention back to Sesshomaru. He was still walking ahead, his pace steady, seemingly uncaring of the fate of the feline that had not parted from his side all morning. How could he be so heartless, she wondered angrily? How could he just send the cat out to die and do nothing to help it when he knew that it was in danger? Unless…unless he didn't know.

In an instant all of the answers to her questions came flooding into the young miko. She finally realized the purpose of the mire cat. It wasn't there because Sesshomaru had wanted for its presence. All day long the cat had been conveying to Sesshomaru the presence of different threats as they trekked through the swamp. She had watched their conversations, but she had been so distracted with her own brooding that she hadn't realized the truth of what was happening. When the cat would speak, its low grunts and huffs or seemingly strained mews that came out as deep rumbles from its massive frame; Sesshomaru would not only respond to the cat with words, but he also often had changed his direction in response to what the cat had told him.

The mire cat had been leading him away from the areas that it knew to be dangerous, as well as tracking for him the presence of their pursuers. That was what they had been talking about in the demon tongue that she could not understand. That was what he had been hiding from her since his first encounter with the dark miko. Tsubaki hadn't merely been able to fool Sesshomaru's senses, but had managed to place a curse upon him that was robbing him of them.

"Sesshomaru!" she called his name forcefully as she quickened her pace to reach him. She saw him stiffen slightly, but he did not move to acknowledge her, the blank mask covering his features firmly in place. But Kagome blatantly ignored it. "The cat's in trouble!" she told him frantically. "There's two more than the one it went after, and I can sense even more beginning to move in on it!" When Sesshomaru didn't make any move to go after the feline, Kagome nearly lost it. "I'm not going to let that poor animal die because you are too stubborn to admit to me that you weren't able to pick up on its distress!"

With that said; Kagome spun away from Sesshomaru and went into the tress to follow after the cat. She had only made it a few paces when she heard the fierce growl from behind her. For a second, she thought that perhaps Sesshomaru would strike out at her again for what she had said; but instead she felt his quick movement past her and towards the place where the mire cat was under attack. The breath she had been holding left her in a rush, but she quickly collected herself and continued into the trees after Sesshomaru.

By the time Kagome had reached the scene, the three lizard youkai all lay dead, scattered about a small clearing boarding a vast stretch of the fetid waters of the swamp. The mire cat, though sporting a rather nasty looking wound running down its left foreleg, was by Sesshomaru's side once again, licking blood from its claws absently, and Kagome swore she could hear the beast purring. After suppressing the shiver that wanted to run through her after discovering the true bestial nature of the mire cat, Kagome stepped forward to Sesshomaru.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked him in a small voice filled with confusion and hurt.

But when the piercing gold of his eyes moved to meet hers, Kagome instantly regretted asking the question. His eyes were cold, angry, and filled with resentment. He didn't have to tell her why, she already knew. He didn't tell her because he blamed what was happening on her. He didn't tell her because he would not allow himself to be dependant on her. He didn't tell her because he didn't trust her.

Kagome just managed to suppress the mournful sob that wanted to break out of her. She quickly turned away from him, unable to face any more painful truths.

In that moment, she nearly lost faith once again; and Sesshomaru did not need his senses to be able to see it. The barrier around the girl had all but given out, and her shoulders were shaking with every breath she took as she strained against her threatening tears. He had wanted her to hate him. Even lashing out at him again would have been preferable to what she had done. He knew the instant she told him of the cat's predicament that she had figured it out, but he could not, would not, allow himself to be dependant upon her. Such a weakness would not be tolerated by him. It exposed him to her in a way that he swore would never come to pass. Not again.

But she had figured it out, she had realized the reason he had brought the feline into his service; and instead of being angry with him for his deception as would have been her right, she had taken it to heart, allowed it to darken her too fragile emotions. Even after pushing her away as he had, even after treating her so harshly, he could not stand the thought of knowing that she would give up on him once again. One small gesture; that was all he would allow.

"Do not waste my time, miko. If you believe you can attest to the dangers of this place better than the feline, then perhaps you should stop sulking and do so."

He watched in satisfaction as the miko's body instantly became rigid. All around her small frame, rising up in brilliant waves of pure light, he powers were being drawn forth. The mire cat standing by his side hissed in anxiety and crouched low to the ground to avoid some of the more destructive waves that were being emitted by the miko. When she turned, she did so quickly, her deep cobalt eyes, filled with righteous fury, locking onto his unwaveringly in her steadfast determination.

"I should just let them have you," she hissed out in her fury. "I should let them herd you into their trap. After all this time, after everything you have done to me, I should want nothing more than to see your blood spilt. You were my enemy, and maybe I am a fool to think that you could be anything more, that you would ever care about anyone but yourself. But I can not turn back now, I will not! I will complete this mission. Even if it means having to stand and face your bitter resentment of me, I will still do everything I am able to see this through to its end, see us both through to the end. I will do what Toga has asked of me because he has shown me kindness and courtesy, because he gave me support and love, because he cares for me as his daughter whether or not such a thing will ever come to pass."

"Do you think that I care for your reasons, miko?" Sesshomaru asked, his voice a cold dagger that pierced her heart more painfully than any blade of steel. "Do you think that I would be blind still of why you would have accepted this mission? You forget yourself. You forget that for the past year I have seen you hang yourself over that pathetic halfling, fight for him, sacrifice for him, and pine for him when he abandons you for that walking corpse. Perhaps I should do you all a favor and bring the wench back. At least then I would not have to be burdened with your presence as you would no longer have a reason to remain in this time."

Kagome drew in a deep, shaky breath and tore her eyes away from Sesshomaru's. "There was once a time when you would never have said such things to me," she told him quietly.

"That time has long since past, miko. I am no longer deluded in the thinking that your reasons for coming to me were pure. For a hundred years I was forced to live with the truth of your lies. I hated you with every fibber of my being. I wanted nothing more than to wipe my memory clean of your wretched presence. But you shall never allow me any peace. You have come to me again, and again forced me into doing things that I would never have allowed. You speak of love from a being such as my father, and yet you know nothing. He is using you to get to me because he knew that he never could. He believes that by sending you to me that I would heed his lessons, that I would accept his views. But the only thing he has accomplished is stealing from me any hope that I ever could have had for making a future of my own."

"There is always hope!" Kagome was becoming frantic. All around them she could feel the converging of the mire's beasts. They would soon be engaging in yet another battle, but she knew that to fight with no hope was to loose before even lifting a sword. "All you have to do is have faith!"

"Faith in what, miko? In you? Impossible. You ask me why I would not trust you. The answer is simple: you are my enemy."

"You honestly expect me to believe that?! After everything we've been through together, you expect me to accept that nothing has changed?! You're still deluding yourself, Sesshomaru! After all of this is over, you will no longer be my enemy. You will even go so far as to save my life on more than one occasion! The future is not as bleak as you would make it seem! It could be happy, if only you would give it a chance!"

"You may not wish to believe my words, but I have no choice but to do so. The battle approaches, miko. I suggest, if you wish to continue living, that you stay out of my way." He turned from her then, setting his sights into the tangle of trees and vines bordering the clearing they were standing in and preparing for the wave of attackers that was coming, but even as he did so, he could still hear the small voice of the miko from behind him.

"I'll make you see," she whispered quietly. "I'll make you believe."

So much he wanted to believe that she could, but at the same time he wished that she wouldn't. No matter how much he distanced himself from her, no matter how much he had blocked himself away from any emotion; there would always remain a part of him that would ache for her presence. He wanted her to hate him, he wanted her to give him a reason to hate her as well; but she would never. And still, no matter what she did, he knew he would always remember her fire and her spirit, her conviction and faith, her gentle soul and fragile heart.

He could never forget, and even if he could find a way to hate her again, she would always hold the piece of his soul that he had given her, that even now coursed through her being to bring her strength. He could feel it calling out to him, telling him of her pain, begging him to be the one to ease it away. But he could not heed it, because if he did, he would be revealing that his weakness came not from the curse that had been set upon him but from the slip of a human girl that he would give anything to protect, even if that meant protecting her from himself.

When the first wave of the lizards broke through the trees, Sesshomaru was on them before they could even lift their blades. He immersed himself in battle, in the fluid movements of his body and his sword; erasing all thoughts of anything else. It was the fight that he knew, the war that had been raging ever since he first took up arms. It was kill or be killed, and he would not allow such vermin to dishonor him by even so much as spilling a drop of his blood.

His power levels were too low to be wasting energy by releasing Tokijin's more devastating attacks, but for such lowly youkai as the lizards, he had no need of such. They fell against his blade, their scaled bodies and toughened hides bearing no resistance against the sharp edge of the demon fang or the strength of his swing that could render bones into dust upon contact. All around him the lizards fell, so many he began to loose count stained the ground of the clearing in tangled heaps of blood, bone, and shredded flesh.

But no matter how many he killed, they still kept coming, raining down on him from out of the tangles of the marsh like a plague. He was taking them down, but they were managing to push him back towards the fetid waters opposite the trees, making him loose ground and distance from the miko standing behind him streaming her arrows into the barrage of scaled bodies advancing on them.

"Sesshomaru!!"

The miko's frantic voice pulled his attention to her immediately, but what he saw made his vision bleed red in fury.

TTTTTTTTTT

The howling winds tore across the rock faces of the jagged peaks within the misted mountains, sending the thick blanket of fog into turbulent dances that whispered of madness and chaos. The dark miko had spent the better part of the day steadily making the treacherous climb to the heights of the mountains, but the longer she spent within the taunting mists, the more she heard the whispers of madness descending upon her.

Perhaps, she thought, these mountains were nothing but a trap. Perhaps the young miko, the reincarnation of her nemesis, knew more of the curse she had cast that she had first believed. Perhaps they had been leading her here all along, hoping for her to fall victim to the traps of the mountains, trying to steal away her newfound powers and abilities.

"NO!" she hissed aloud to herself, her voice being swallowed up by the howling winds. She would not allow herself to be trapped by them in this wretched place! They would not steal away her victory by such pathetic tactics! She would have her victory, she would have the jewel, she would have everything that she had desired and been denied in her first life!

A deafening roar apart from the howling of the winds vibrated angrily against her newly heightened ears, but even as the sensation caused her to hiss in pain, a vengeful spark was ignited in her dark eyes. It had come to her at last! The dragon she had sought was nearly upon her! Filled with a rush of exhilaration, Tsubaki lifted her head, peering out into the mists from within the dark confines of her cowl.

Above her, she could see an outline beginning to take shape in the mists, a dark shadow that grew ever larger at the beast approached. But something wasn't right. There was a warning crying out to her, but she didn't know what it was. It was something that she could smell upon the air, something different than the cold of the mists.

Fire!

The dark miko recognized the scent only seconds before the flames erupted from behind the covering of mist. Had she been any later, she would never have managed to evade the attack. It struck the uneven ground like a hammer, causing rock and rubble to break apart from the jagged surfaces and tumble down into the endless abyss of white mists swirling below; and even with nothing to sustain the flames upon the barren surfaces, still they remained burning, an inferno that would be the embrace of death.

Tsubaki steadied herself against the ground away from the devastation. Her eyes locked upon her target, narrowed in fury and flashing to dangerous pools of molten gold. At her sides, her hands clenched and began to glow green with poison as the blunt nails of the human shape she had been given began to lengthen into demonic claws.

With a wild cry, the dark miko launched herself upwards into the mists. Her hands shot out before her, and from them broke free the long tangles of light to whip through the air. A laugh of madness, fueled by stolen power and wicked desires, broke free from her when she felt the whips of light contact with her target. The dragon howled in pain and fury, and even as the dark miko touched back to the ground, she knew that it was turning for another attack.

"Not on this day, dragon," she bit out as she took hold of her dark robes and pulled them away from her body.

Tsubaki screeched in pain as the serpents housed within her hanyou flesh ripped away from her. They emerged as a mass; hundreds of bodies flashing with scales and fangs. They were a part of her now as they had been a part of Naraku. It was they that gave life to the shell of a body she had been given by the vile hanyou, but she had no need of them any longer. Now she had power of her own, a power coveted by Naraku that he had failed to attain. And yet it was hers now to command. She wielded the power of the demon dog, and with the blood of the dragon now staining her claws, the curse could be completed and what remained of his power would become hers as well.

When the last of the serpents broke free of her, Tsubaki turned away from the dragon of the mountain. As it was occupied fighting off the hoard of serpents, she reached into her robes and pulled forth the sacred jewel. In her hand, it glowed a wicked black. Filled with malice and dark intentions, the power of the Shikon was phenomenal. Even now she could see within its swirling depths the strength of its power as it carried her curse upon the dog. A wicked smile broke out on her face as she lifted her bloodstained hand and brought the dragon's blood to the surface.

The curse had been completed.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Sesshomaru!!"

Kagome had called out to him, trying to warn him of the danger. She couldn't sense it before with all of the other youkai in the area, but it had grown stronger, closer, with every clash of blades. It was in the water, hiding beneath the dark surface of the fetid pool. Whatever it was, there was no mistaking its intent. She had to warn him! She had to make him move away before the creature could get its chance to strike!

The young miko breathed a small sigh of relief when she saw him turn towards her. She opened her mouth to call out to him again, but before any sound could come out, a large, scaled, hand clamped forcefully over her mouth. Her startled scream was muffled by her assailant's hold on her, and her body's violent thrashing in a desperate attempt to break free was made useless by the lizard's other arm as it wrapped her tightly against its body.

"Be ssstill little priessstessss," the Zard hissed menacingly into her ear. "Or I will have to kill you sssoner than planned."

Kagome drew in a strained breath and forced herself to calm. So long as the lizard wasn't planning on killing her right away, she knew she could deal with it later. But her anxiety was building with every second, not for herself, but because the dark aura she had felt approaching from beneath the fetid waters of the swamp was nearly on top of them. Her eyes darted to Sesshomaru, hoping that in some way she could warn him of the danger before it was too late. But when her sight finally landed on him, she froze.

His eyes were locked on her assailant, completely oblivious to the dozens of lizards moving in on him, and even with the distance between them, she could see the crimson red of his fury burning savagely in his eyes.

'No!' she screamed out in her mind. 'Not now! Don't loose it on me, Sesshomaru! Turn around!'

But she knew the moment she looked into his eyes that he would not see reason now. Those eyes were the eyes of a demon, and the demon would not rest until the ground had been soaked the color of his bleeding eyes.

Everything after that happened so fast it was like a blur. Sesshomaru took one step forward, but the instant he moved, his whole body went rigid. His legs gave out beneath him as though he no longer had the strength to hold his own weight, and he collapsed to the ground. The instant he went down, the mass of lizards surrounding him lunged. They struck out at him on all sides with their curved blades, ripping into him mercilessly.

But while the lizards were so focused on bringing down their hunt, they had failed to notice the way the dark waters of the swamp were shifting with restless anticipation. Without any warning, the waters surged, exploding upwards in a raining torrent. From out of the murky depths, rising up like a nightmare come to steal away all hopes of freedom, the dark, hissing, heads of the hydra lashed out in all directions. It long necks twisted and coiled around the struggling bodies of whatever victim lay in its path and its multitude of massive fangs ripped through anything it could not latch onto.

The lizards screeched in fear and pain as they were torn and snared by the hydra's many heads, and they scrambled frantically to get away from the fetid waters and the deadly heads of the beast inhabiting them. As the lizards fled, Kagome finally was able to see Sesshomaru again. Several scaled bodies lay bloodied and scattered about him; those that had gotten too close to his deadly claws. But even though he had still been fighting the lizard beasts in his weakened state, they had inflicted heavy damage on him as well. His breathing was ragged and his whole body, covered with darkly staining blood, trembled against the strain he was forcing it through. But still, he pulled himself to his feet, locking the burning crimson of his eyes on the Zard holding her.

Kagome tried to scream, to call out to him, to warn him; but even as her body thrashed against the hold of the Zard and her miko powers rose up around her, crackling wildly and searing against the scaled hide of her captor, he held her firm. She was forced to watch as one of the hydra's heads took Sesshomaru into its sights and its snake-like neck coiled and sprang with devastating speed, shooting its gaping maw of fierce teeth directly at the Taiyoukai.

The young miko closed her eyes as a breaking sob was torn out of her. But even as she did so, she felt the tearing pressure of the Zard's talons being forcefully removed from their grip on her. Her eyes snapped open in shock, darting immediately to find the beast. She found it crumpled beneath the heavy frame of the mire cat, hissing and writhing in pure agony as the cat tore through its flesh with sharp claws and unyielding fangs. The power of the Shikon, glowing darkly in the Zard's chest, only served to bring his suffering to new heights as the cursed jewel fed upon his pain by sustaining his life even as his flesh was ripped savagely from his body.

A furious roar snapped Kagome's attention back to the terrifying scene by the water. Sesshomaru was crouched on the ground, his only arm wrapped around his midsection to stall the flow of blood, and his eyes locked on the terrifying sight of the hydra in the fetid waters. The beast towered above him, it many heads thrashing angrily, some still holding the lizards they had ensnared in their coiled grasp. Two of the heads had been removed completely, leaving only bloodied stumps; but still the long necks coiled and snapped in fury. At the loss of its heads, the hydra had focused its attention on the one that threatened it. It abandoned its pursuit of the remaining lizards that were fleeing from its reach, and focused its attacks on Sesshomaru.

Without another thought, Kagome had drawn her bow and loosed an arrow at the hydra. Her shot took off two more of the heads even as Sesshomaru sprang from his guarding position to relieve it of another. But the hydra was quick, and even without five of its heads, it had many more to rely on. It struck out at Sesshomaru from all sides, blocking his path of escape from any direction and forcing him on the defensive as its great maws snapped open intent on seizing him.

"Cat!" Kagome screamed at the dark feline. It answered her with a low hiss that screamed to her of danger, but she didn't have time to deal with its issues with her. "Get him out of there!" She gestured sharply at Sesshomaru, praying the mire cat could understand her wishes, and then she bolted towards the water.

The hydra saw her coming, but it made its mistake by only diverting two of its heads to cut her off. One arrow, streaming with radiant light, dispatched the two heads quickly, and Kagome barely even had to break her stride. In only moments she had managed to set herself in front of Sesshomaru. She could hear his low, threatening growls from behind her, but she shut them out. She was not going to stand by and let him die. Pride and honor be damned!

All around her, her barrier surged with its magic, casting off the hydra's attacks with sharp lances of black energy that seared the beast's flesh. She set her bow again, fueling her attack with tremendous currents of pure energy. When her arrow was loosed, the power surge it released had even her pulling back from the fallout. She turned quickly, pulling back from the edge of the waters. As she made her flight, she could hear the screams of the hydra as it was struck with her arrow. If it lived after having sunk back beneath the dark waters of the swamp, it sure wasn't feeling too good.

Kagome stopped running when she caught up with the mire cat. Amazingly, it had heeded her request and dragged Sesshomaru away from where the hydra had had him pinned, but she could tell by the angry vibrations rattling through Sesshomaru, that he was none too pleased. She whispered her thanks to the cat, and it responded to her with a slight inclination of its head before it backed away stiffly from the livid dog. Once clear, it slipped into the trees, its dark form becoming enveloped by the shadows as it left to tend its own injuries.

"Sesshomaru," she called his name gently as she moved towards him, her hands stretching out timidly to try and help him sit up.

His eyes snapped to hers, cold and angry, and his lip lifted in a vicious snarl that revealed to her his deadly fangs. "Insolent wench!" he growled out in fury. "I warned you not to interfere in my battles!"

Kagome bit her tongue hard to prevent herself from yelling out the fact that she had very likely just saved his life. Instead, she reverted to a well known routine of placating the bruised ego of a demon dog. "I'm sorry," she said quietly as she kneeled down by his side, ignoring the best she could the death glare he was giving her and the angry vibrations shaking through his frame. "I thought that I was helping. Forgive me, but I was afraid."

Sesshomaru huffed slightly, and Kagome knew in an instant just how much he believed her words. But, she figured, so long as he didn't have his senses working properly for him, she would be able to dupe him almost as well as she could Inuyasha. Almost, that is. But it didn't matter. She needed to placate him as best as she could, because judging by the amount of blood soaking into his clothes and the way his arm was clutched tightly around his midsection, she knew that the injuries he had sustained were bad. And since bad for a demon meant lethal for a human, she wasn't about to loose any opportunity, especially since this particular demon had been placed under a curse of unknown effects.

When Sesshomaru shifted and started drawing himself to his knees, Kagome reached out to him in an attempt to help, but he stopped her with a deep, sharp growl. "Leave me, miko," he bit out coldly.

His hand left his side, but the instant it did, a new stream of blood poured out of the wound. Kagome gasped at the sight. The wound was deep, and were it not for the blood pouring out of him, she was certain she would have been able to see the white of his bones, or worse. It stretched from just under where his arm should have rested on his left side and tore in an arching path down his ribs and across his stomach. But Sesshomaru didn't even flinch as his movements stretched the straining injury and forced more blood to flow.

He pulled Tokijin from his side and planted it in the ground, using it as a brace to lift himself to his feet. As he did, Kagome took count of the several gashes tearing across his legs. All of them were bleeding profusely with no sign of stopping any time soon. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to help him, but he wouldn't even let her touch him. But even if she could, what could she do? Healing a youkai was vastly different from healing a human or even a hanyou, and Kagome had never even heard of methods to heal youkai since they usually depended upon their innate healing abilities.

She felt defeated and completely at a loss as she watched the proud youkai struggling to keep himself upright despite the grave injuries he had sustained. But when she saw him sway precariously, she was on her feet in an instant and by his side again. The second she touched him though, he turned on her, pushing her away forcefully and making her stumble back in shock.

"I said, leave me!" he growled out forcefully. "I do not need your help."

"You don't need my…." She stared at him unbelievingly as he continued slowly pulling himself towards the nearest tree, but when he swayed again and was forced to brace himself against Tokijin to steady himself, Kagome threw away her ideas of gentle nurturing. "You don't need my help?!" she screamed as she closed the distance between them easily. "Look at you! You're a mess! You're injured, bleeding, hardly able to stand without using your sword as a crutch, and with the amount of power Tsubaki has stolen from you, you can't be certain that you even have the ability to heal yourself! And you say that you don't need my help?! I'm the only person who can help you, Sesshomaru! And I'm right here offering you that help! Why do you push me away when it's so obvious that you need me?!"

"What I need?" Sesshomaru growled as he finally turned to her, his eyes bleeding in dangerous wisps of crimson from his pain and anger. "You presume much to think that you would ever be capable of giving me what I need."

Something about the way Sesshomaru's voice had wavered when making his statement reminded Kagome of Inuyasha. In this way, the brothers were very much alike; neither one of them would ever express their emotions, especially the ones that ran the deepest. When Sesshomaru had spoken of his need, he was not referring to the battle or the wounds he had sustained because of it, there was something more, something he was not saying, something he was fighting to keep to himself.

'_He needs you more than you know.'_ Inuyasha's last words to her rang out in her head, and Kagome could finally see their meaning.

"Please, Sesshomaru," Kagome whispered as she took a timid step towards him. "Let me help you."

"Why can you never listen, woman?!" Kagome flinched at the ferocity in his tone, but still she held firm, an action which made him curse her all the more. Why couldn't she see? Why couldn't she understand? He couldn't let her help him, he couldn't because she was the only one who ever could but at the same time the one who never would. She already had him, had everything he could give to her and so much more; but she would never return it, she would never give him what he needed from her. His wounds would heal, his physical pain would pass, but he would never recover from what she had done to him, from what he had given her that he could never take back.

"Leave me," he told her in nothing more than a whisper. He hadn't the strength to fight her anymore. To deny her was to deny himself and it wore him down more surely than a foolish curse that could steal his strength.

"I won't." Her words rung with conviction and resolve; she would not be swayed.

Sesshomaru tried to find the strength to tell her once again that he would not accept her aid, but before he could find the words, he began to sway unsteadily. The loss of blood was affecting him strongly, and with so little energy to fight against the curse as well as his wounded state, he was steadily loosing consciousness as his body fought to preserve what it could of his functioning. His eyes glazed over, shifting his vision of the world into one of blurry images and indistinct movements. He tried to blink it away, but he could not. He was falling, and the last thing he felt before the darkness claimed him, was the gentle warmth of his little miko as she wrapped her arms around him to steady him on his descent to the ground.

"What am I going to do with you?" Kagome asked him quietly after she had helped his weight settle down and leaned him back against the nearby tree.

When she pulled back from him, her clothes had been covered in his blood. He was loosing too much too fast, but she knew that even if she bandaged them it wouldn't be enough. She needed something more, but what? Her breath caught as the severity of the situation began to finally register in her mind. Sesshomaru was dying. The last assault of Tsubaki's curse had left him with hardly more power than a simple mortal. He couldn't heal his wounds like he should have been able to, and if she didn't do something, and fast, he would bleed out.

A sudden pull across her senses caused the young miko to look up in shock. Her eyes widened when her sight fell on the dark glow of the Shikon shard being lifted away from where it had been torn from the Zard leader's chest by one of Naraku's loathsome hell insects. But it suddenly hit her what she needed to do.

The Shikon.

She carried the jewel in her possession. That was why Tsubaki had come after her in the first place. The cursed jewel had caused this atrocity, and it was going to be the thing that would get them out of it. Hastily, Kagome reached into her pocket and pulled out the jewel. In her hand, it glowed a pure and gentle pink, free of the darkness and malice corrupting it when held by the hands of evil.

One more time she allowed herself to look at Sesshomaru. His breathing was shallow and labored, his skin had been stripped of any color, and even his markings had begun to pale from loss of blood. He seemed so exposed as he lay there. There were no barriers in place to hide him from the world, and it frightened her. He was always so proud, always so strong and so steadfast in the face of anything. But seeing him here like this, so worn and so vulnerable; it just wasn't right.

Kagome knew that if he were awake he would adamantly refuse what she was going to do. His pride would never allow him to take strength from a power not his own. She had always admired him for that, but right now, she didn't have another choice. 'He sure is going to be pissed,' was her last thought before she threw away her hesitations and plunged the jewel deeply into the gaping wound stretching across his left side.

Almost immediately, Sesshomaru's eyes snapped open. They burned the dark crimson of his beast, wild fires of blood and rage. His body jerked violently as the power of the jewel began coursing through him, and Kagome watched in horror as the soft pink glow of the jewel began reacting to the dark fires of his spirit. Without thinking, she threw her arms around him, holding him close as she allowed her body to become engulfed by the calming waves of power from her core. She covered him with it like a blanket, letting the cool blue wash over him in wave after wave of pure energy. She could feel him thrashing wildly beneath her, but she only clung to him tighter, refusing to let go.

"Like…a hug," she whispered into his ear, remembering how he had been the one to give her strength as she fought against the poison in her blood.

The brilliant blue of her powers surrounded them and in response his aura rose up to fight her, but Kagome held strong. She concentrated on bringing calm to the wild fires, on easing them away from their destructive intent. 'I'm here,' she whispered soothingly without ever forming words, 'you're safe with me.' Slowly, she could feel the Shikon settle from its restless state. The fires were passing it by as it became wrapped in a seal of protection. But it wasn't enough. He was still fighting her, still preventing her from giving him enough to hold the call of the cursed jewel at bay without her touch.

"Sesshomaru…" her voice was strained, pleading. She needed him to accept her or they would both be lost. "Please," she begged him softly, "Let me help you. You can't leave me now. You can't. I need you. I…" her voice wavered and caught.

She sobbed heavily as she clung to him. Her whole body was trembling, but still she kept calling up her powers, surrounding them in the soothing light, calming the restless fires of his youkai spirit and keeping pure the light of the Shikon buried within him. She could feel her powers draining, feel what she was giving him settle into the raging fires never to return. But she didn't care, it didn't matter. So long as he would be healed, what happened to her was insignificant.

But then, suddenly, all of the fight drained away, leaving in its place only acceptance. She felt her body heat with a gentle warmth, a calming wash of energy, and she knew it was him bringing her strength once more as she was giving it to him in turn. Their powers flowed freely together, soothing each other of their pains and bringing strength to the other where one was weak. Relief washed through her and she sagged against him.

Exhausted and trembling from her effort, Kagome remained clinging to him, reassuring herself that he was still there. And it was to this sight that Sesshomaru awakened when the surging energies died down and the red finally bled from his vision.

He was disoriented at first, not understanding where the power that was surging through his body had come from or how, despite the chaotic dance of it, he felt at peace, calmed by the gentle caress of a soothing heat he couldn't quite place. But when he looked down at the weight settled against his chest and saw the little miko clinging to him in a desperate fashion and heard her quiet sobs, he knew what had happened. The power he could feel was that of the Shikon, given to him freely by its sacred guardian and calmed by her pure light that even now coursed through his being, washing in soothing currents against the eternal flames of his spirit.

There was a part of him that wanted to be angry with what she had done, a part of him that resented the use of such artificial strength, that seethed with the knowledge that she hadn't enough faith in his strength without resorting to such. But another part of him, that part which could feel so clearly the way her essence coursed through him bringing him feelings of warmth and pleasure that he had never known, that part which could feel the desperation in her as she held him so tightly with shaky limbs, that part of him could find no fault in what she had done and place no blame upon her.

She was crying again, this little human woman who held more strength in her far too fragile heart than he ever possessed in his body. He could feel her pain and her fear, and he could no longer deny his need to be the one too sooth her pains, to erase her fears. "Why do you cry, miko?" he asked her quietly.

She gasped and stiffened against him in surprise when she heard his voice, and slowly, hesitantly, she began pulling away from him. "Be…Because, you baka," she choked out quietly between sobs. Her tear-filled eyes found his, but she still managed to give him a weak, watery smile. "You're hurt…and I…I…I'm worried abut you, stupid!"

Sesshomaru's hand lifted without thought to tenderly brush away the hot moisture trailing down her flushed cheeks. He watched as she leaned into his touch, sighing quietly and contentedly. "For me?" he asked her quietly as his eyes moved to find hers once more. She didn't answer him, only looked at him with her glistening sapphire eyes wide with uncertainty and her lush, pink lips trembling slightly. "Do not tell me you are at a loss for words," he chided gently as his thumb moved to smooth over her trembling lips, memorizing the soft curve under his touch. "So soft," he whispered, as much to himself as to her. "I had wondered…for so long I had wondered…" He stopped suddenly, finally hit with the reality of their situation, and he pulled his hand away.

But before it could come to rest at his side, Kagome caught it. She cradled it softly in her left hand as her right began to trace delicately over the marking on his skin. "I wondered about these," she said quietly, timidly, as her fingers traced along the lines of crimson. She smiled in quiet appreciation as she felt the slightly textured quality of the markings that stood out from the smooth surface of his skin. They felt like velvet under her fingers. "Soft," she said in mimic to him, a shy smile pulling up on her lips as her eyes lifted to find his again.

For a time, they merely looked at each other, both lost in their thoughts and in the hidden depths of the other's eyes. Almost as though she was in a trance, Kagome was slowly leaning towards Sesshomaru. Somewhere she knew what was happening, and somewhere she knew what it would mean; but what she knew above everything else was that this is what she wanted, what her heart was telling her to do. But when her lips were only inches from meeting with his; Sesshomaru turned away from her.

"I have no need of your charity, miko."

"Charity?" she asked in confusion and hurt. "You think that I …" She reached out to touch her fingers gently to the side of his face. "Is that what you feel when I touch you, Sesshomaru?" Applying only the slightest amount of pressure, she managed to coax him into turning back to her. "Because if it is," she continued when his eyes met hers once more, "then you're not paying enough attention." She leaned forwards, her cheek brushing past his as she brought her lips to his ear. "I know what path I want to take," she whispered to him, "which one my heart is telling me to follow."

Turning slightly, Kagome pressed her lips against his cheek. She began slowly and steadily trailing a line of kisses across his skin as she made her way back to his lips, and by the time she had reached the end of the line of crimson cutting across his cheek, he had given in to her. His arm came up to wrap around her body possessively as his head turned, his lips claiming hers in a searing kiss of passion too long denied.

His kiss was hungry but tender, careful against the sensitive skin of her lips so that his sharp fangs would not hurt her. She could feel his need for her as surely as her could hers for him, and together they became lost in the intimate sensations of touch and breath and feeling.

When they finally broke apart for air, Sesshomaru pulled her tightly into his embrace, burying his nose in her neck. The smell of lavender and jasmine flooded his senses as her silken hair brushed softly against his face and her heated skin pulsed with every beat of her heart to ring to him wave after wave of pure bliss as her energies surged within her. But under the soothing lull of her essence, hidden within the heat of her blood, he could smell the sweetness of something even more enticing.

'Good lord,' he thought as his body coursed with a new wave of desire, 'but the scent of her arousal could make me hard for days.' Suddenly he stiffened and bulled back.

"Sesshomaru?" The miko's little voice reached him easily, her confusion evident in the slight wavering of her soft tone.

"Your scent."

"What about it?"

"I can smell your scent," he told her as he closed his eyes, lifting his head to take in the scents around them. The world had been brought back to his senses. All around him he could smell the heavy moisture of the swamps, the lush life of the greens and the slow death of the fetid waters and even the scents of animals whose passage had been marked by their blood and energies. Even the winds he could hear again, brushing softly above the thick canopy of the trees, moving on above the world below. When he opened his eyes to look back at the little miko nestled in his arms, he could not help the smile that pulled on his lips. "You have given me back my senses," he said quietly as he leaned in to her and rubbed his cheek to hers. "Thank you, Kagome."

Kagome blushed in embarrassment at his sudden display of affection. "Yeah, well, just don't go thinking that it's yours now." She informed him with a nervous laugh. "I'm expecting that jewel back in one piece, mister. As soon as you show Tsubaki who's boss."

Sesshomaru smirked as he pulled back from her. He raised an eyebrow as he took in her heavy blush and jittery reaction. "Was there ever any doubt?" he asked, watching in amusement as her jaw dropped open in disbelief and her body went rigid with barely suppressed fury.

"You concieted, pompous, arrogant, son of a…."

But her tirade was cut off when Sesshomaru once again captured her lips. "Hn," he mused as he pulled back from the shocked silent miko. "It seems that I have discovered the way to keep you silent." He smirked. "I must say, it is quite and enjoyable experience."

Confused as to whether he was referring to her silence or her kiss, Kagome bristled once more at the arrogant yokai. "You…you….humph!" Lacking the ability to form words, Kagome settled for crossing her arms over her chest and grumbling out the first disgruntled thing that came to mind. "I hate you"

"Oh?" Sesshomaru asked, his eyebrow drawing up in amusement as he easily picked up on her lie. "Is that so?"

"Yes." she stated matter of factly. "For one," she raised her hand up and started ticking off her points on her fingers, "You're too stubborn, and you need to learn when to ask for help once in a while. And another thing, you're totally conceited. You think that you're the best thing since sliced bread. Humph! You may look like a god, but that doesn't mean you are one. And another thing! You have nooooo idea what fun is. I bet you think kicking that annoying toad is fun, don't you? That's sick, mister; totally graphic. And you know what else? You and your father and your brother are all big fat heads! That's right, I said fat heads. I think it's an ego complex or something. Maybe a dog thing. I'm gonna look it up the next time I go back to my time. Oh! And…"

Again she was cut off from her rant when Sesshomaru claimed her lips. She melted into him, her arms reaching up and wrapping about his neck to pull him closer. She moaned in bliss when she felt his hand tangle in her hair to press her deeper into the kiss. His tongue smoothed over her lips, pushing them gently into parting, and she accepted him eagerly. A gasp of pure pleasure was drawn out of her when she felt the heat of his power beginning to course strongly across her skin. It was like he was touching her everywhere at once, filling every part of her with his burning desire.

When he pulled away, Kagome whimpered lightly at the loss. She opened her eyes, only to find him looking at her intently.

After a moment, he spoke. "I am sorry."

"What…" but her question was silenced when he place a finger lightly over her lips.

"I never asked you. At the time, when I first marked you, I was acting only on instinct, trying to bring you comfort in the only way I knew. The imprints I had of you already told me that you were mine, and yet, in my mind, I knew that you were not. I should have had more control, and that I did not, I am sorry."

"I don't understand. You're talking like this is a bad thing. Why?"

"Because," he replied slowly as he shifted his hold on her, coaxing her into turning to settle her back against his chest. "No matter where you go or what you do, there shall always be a part of me with you. All others that look upon you now will see you as mine; my pack, my female, my mate. I have robbed you of that choice that should have been yours to make."

"Sesshomaru…I…."

"Yes," he cut her off. "I know, you hate me. Now, get some sleep. We leave for the mountains in the morning."

Kagome sighed quietly as she allowed herself to relax against him. "I don't really hate you, you know," she whispered as her eyes began to slip closed.

"Hn," he replied as he too allowed himself to relax. But even as he closed his eyes, knowing that his little miko was nestled securely in his embrace caused a small smile to lift on his lips.

They slept that night in the comfort of each other's arms and beneath the protective blanket of the enchanted barrier. The life in the marsh moved on all about them, but all creatures left them in peace. Even the constant dripping of the water that saturated everything was a soothing lull to bring pleasant dreams of happy days to come and feelings of comfort and joy. Forever after that night, they would both remember fondly the sounds of this place, the falling of the tears.

Tears of the mire

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I do apologize for how long this chapter took to come out, but given how long it turned out to be, I'm sure no one is going to blame me. Actually, I almost posted it about halfway through, but I stopped myself before I did because the tears I had thought to use didn't sit right with me. Anyways, this is what you get. And, like I said, things are a little bit happier for the couple.

Unfortunately, the reasons that it took so long to write this chapter will likely also affect the ones following. I've been very busy lately, and my muses have been proving themselves to be very stubborn. But I'm still pushing through this story. I'm intent to see it through to its end.

Well, until next time.

Cheers all

Shadow


	30. Tears of the Morning

Tears of the Morning

Tears of the Morning

The shadows of the night were still deep within the thick canopy of the mire when Sesshomaru awoke. He had not planned on letting his guard down in the swamps as he had. He truly did not sleep very often, but after such an energy depleting experience as the day before his body's call for rest was strong.

It was not simply that though.

He shifted slightly, allowing his sight to fall on the little priestess cuddled up against him. She had curled herself up between his legs, her upper body supported by his right thigh, her head resting lightly against his fur, and her little hands had found their way into the soft fibers with a surprisingly strong grip given her sleeping state. A slow smile pulled on his lips as he looked upon her. It had been because of her that he had found his rest. After so long of being denied such comforts, so long of believing that he could never feel as she had made him feel; to know that she was with him, feeling her gentle essence and being surrounded by her soothing scent; it had given him such a feeling of peace that sleep had come to him more easily than it had in centuries.

The anger he had felt for so long, the hatred and the betrayal; it was as though none of it had ever happened, none of it mattered. All that mattered now was that she was with him again. Only this time, things were going to be different.

He had tried to push her away, tried to hate her for what she was, for what she represented. But he had failed. He had failed the first time she had come to him when he had been drawn to her by the invisible bonds created with her in his childhood. He had thought his actions a mistake, a lapse in judgment no to be tolerated. But the more time he had spent with her, the more he saw of her strength and spirit, he could not deny that she had affected him with more than a memory.

She had touched him in a place he had forever sealed away from the world, forever locked behind hardened barriers of restraint and cold determination. He had always sworn that he would never allow himself to fall, never allow himself to know the weaknesses of his father. But she had changed everything…because it was she that held the keys to unlocking his heart.

He had not been able to deny her then. He had been intrigued by her mystery, moved by her compassion, awed by her power, challenged by her fire, and left wanting to smile with her as she found joy in such simple things. But in all of those things he could have found fault, he could have found reason to turn her away. It was her heart that had called to him, made it so that he could never forget.

He could still remember so clearly the way she had looked at him when she begged him not to destroy the pendant that had been given to her by his father. He remembered her eyes, filled with moisture she tired so desperately to keep from falling; they bore into his very soul. He couldn't have denied her then, he knew this. He couldn't because deep down he knew that there was no one who would ever plead for him as she was for his father, no one that would care for him when he departed from the world. But it had been in that moment, too, when he had felt the first fleeting moment of hope, that he had believed for the first time that to be cared for by another was not a waste…because in the end it would mean that you would never be forgotten.

Of course, even after having thought such things, he had still not been ready to accept the girl. She frustrated him by leaving out so much of her story, infuriated him when she suggested that he would not be able to find his father's legacy without her aid, annoyed him endlessly with her complaining, her unbelievable clumsiness, and not to mention her completely unrealistic fear of something so harmless and trivial as a common spider.

In one day she had managed to make him feel more conflicting emotions than he had in a century.

But still she would manage to give him even more revelations. He may not have meant for it to happen, but he knew that his marking of her had not been as much of an accident as he tried for so long to convince himself it was. Seeing her so broken, so weak and helpless; he had been consumed with the need to be the one to protect her. She was so strong in the face of everything that she had been asked to do, and seeing her break, watching as the tears of her self-perceived failure fell, he had felt remorse, a feeling he had thought would never affect him. He knew it had been his own failure that had brought her to such. He knew that he had failed her.

And the knowledge of that failure had led him to make the decision that would forever change his life. He had done it because he never wanted to fail her again. He shared with her his own strength because he could not give her words of comfort but he could give her that. He had offered her his protection, his strength, his heart. It had been impulsive, fed by his instincts and driven by emotions he had so long locked away from the world, and though his decision had weighed heavily on him for nearly two centuries, he couldn't find it in himself now to regret it.

And now she was with him again, and again she had once again been the one to break through every barrier he had put up to keep her at bay. He had thought that keeping her at a distance was the only way for him to be able to bring them to the end of this journey, but he couldn't. The moment he had seen her in the clutches of that lizard he had lost all thought of anything but to go to her, to keep her safe. No amount of discipline or training or façade of indifference could have prepared him for the raw burning of rage that had consumed him when he saw that filthy creature lay its hands on his miko.

Everything had left him in that moment. He couldn't focus on the battle, on their mission. He couldn't think of tactics or strategy. He cared nothing of his pride or of the consequences of his actions. All that mattered was getting to her and seeing her safe once more. But the most incredible revelation was that he didn't care. He nearly lost his life in his blinded state, and he didn't care. He didn't care because he knew that he would gladly give his life if it meant that she would be able to live hers.

'_Doubt yourself; doubt the strength of your heart, and you will die a worse death than what waits for you in the pits.'_

He had thought his father a fool to have such sentiment, but he had never given his old man enough credit. He knew that now. He knew that if he had lost his little miko, if he had been blind of what his heart had been telling him all this time, he would have died a worse death than anything that could have happened to him in the darkness of the pits. He would have lived his life empty of emotion, filled with nothing but hatred and greed. It was a fate worse than death. His father had known this, had known it all along. He had been training him from his childhood to take this journey, first in the mountains, then in the pits. All along the old dog had known what would befall him on this journey, and all along he had been tempting the fates by trying to show him the way before the time came to pass.

He had been a fool and not heeded his father's lessons, but this time was going to be different. This time he would not doubt. This time it would be him giving her reasons to want to stay. This time it would be his heart calling to hers as hers had to his so long ago.

"Kagome." He called her name softly, trying to coax her from her slumber. She shifted slightly, but only to bury herself deeper into the comfort of his fur. "Kagome." He tried again, this time a little louder, but still all she did was tighten her grip against his fur and pull herself into it as though she could escape the sound of his voice by doing so.

Sesshomaru shook his head slightly at her antics and set about a different approach. He moved his arm from where it had been settled so comfortably around her waist and brought his hand to her shoulder, shaking her gently away from her dreams. That seemed to have done the trick…though he did make a mental note to never try waking her again when he didn't have any room to move.

The young miko woke with a violent jerk. The first thing that entered her senses was the presence of a very powerful youkai far too close to her for comfort. Even before she had completely awoken, he body reacted and lashed out. Her hands shot out as she bolted upright, coming into solid contact with the side of Sesshomaru's face. She gasped when she felt the contact and turned towards him. Blinking a few times to clear her vision of sleep, she finally realized who she was with.

"Sesshomaru?" she asked quietly. Her brain hadn't quite caught up with her waking and she was at a complete loss of what she was doing curled up with him… though that didn't quite stop her from reaching a conclusion…even if it was the wrong one. "Am I dreaming?"

Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow at the girl, the tight feeling of annoyance for being slapped across the face eased away by her groggy reactions. "Do you often dream of me?" he asked her smugly.

Kagome groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Never mind," she mumbled with a shake of her head. "If I was dreaming you would be acting romantic not like a smart-ass."

"Hn," he mused as he shifted so that he could bring them both to their feet. "Then perhaps you are dreaming," he informed her once she was standing. He smirked as he took in the girl's confused expression, but he did not let her comment. "Gather you things. It is time for us to go."

"Go?" Kagome asked speculatively as she took a moment to look around. "But…but it's still dark out." She looked back to Sesshomaru, hoping to find that he was playing some sort of joke on her, but when she did she realized that he had already moved away from her. "Hey!" she called out as she quickly grabbed her bag and her weapons, "Wait up!"

After a few clumsy strides as she settled her bulky bag on her shoulder, Kagome managed to bring herself into a light jog and catch up with Sesshomaru. "What's going on?" she asked him, a slight twinge of worry working its way into her voice. "Is something the matter?"

Sesshomaru came to a stop, but rather than looking at her, he lifted his head to look up at the tangle of branches above them. "Do you trust me?" he asked when he finally turned to her.

"Umm…sure…" she replied slowly.

"You do not sound certain of this, Kagome" he told her as he stepped forwards and slid his arm around her waist. Her face flushed pink in embarrassment, but he found the sight quite endearing and did not move to lessen the contact. "If that is the case, then I suggest you hold on."

"Hold on? To what? What are you going to do?"

"I need to determine the extent to which my abilities have been supplemented by the Shikon somehow, do I not?"

"You mean you don't…AAAHHHHEEEE!!"

Before Kagome could even finish her question, Sesshomaru had pushed off from the ground taking them into the tangle of branches above in a blur of speed. Kagome clamped her eyes shut and wrapped her arms around Sesshomaru as tightly as she could. He was moving so fast and with such smooth transitions that she could hardly tell what direction they were going in, but she could feel it every time he would alter his course because her stomach would knot in a new way and scream out to her in protest. The sensation was so disorienting and so intense, that the young miko thought for sure that she would pass out; but before she did, the pressure she had been feeling began to lessen.

Thinking that Sesshomaru had brought them to a stop, Kagome took in a few deep, steadying breaths, and finally managed to open her eyes. What she saw had her screaming again, and again tightening her hold on Sesshomaru. They were hundreds of feet in the air, soaring high over the tops of the tress of the mire, surrounded by nothing but for the dark of the night sky and the soft twinkling of stars.

"Kagome, I will not let you fall."

She believed him, really, she did, but as far as the young miko was concerned there were just some things that humans were never meant to do; and flying through the air on nothing more than the wind and clouds was definitely one of them. She kept her eyes tightly closed and her grip on Sesshomaru like a vice, refusing to look.

But Sesshomaru would not allow it. "Kagome," he spoke her name again, but this time not as a soft reassurance. "Look at me." When she did nothing but shake her head strongly in the negative and proceeded to bury herself even deeper into the fur across his shoulder, Sesshomaru sighed and changed his tactics once again. He brought them to a stop in mid-air, forcing the currents of energy keeping them aloft to gather thickly beneath them, creating a thick cloud of swirling power to keep them steady. He pulled his arm away from her waist, ignoring the frightened cry released by the girl and the way she struggled to tighten her hold on him beyond what she already had, and brought his hand to the back of her head. "Kagome," he called her name quietly as his hand stroked over her hair to bring her comfort. "You are safe with me. I will not allow you to come to harm."

"I…know…" the miko's soft, shaky voice sounded out, muffled by the thick fur she had buried herself against. "But…but…"

"No buts, miko," Sesshomaru interrupted her. "I will not take us back to the ground until you recover from your foolish fears."

"Foolish??" Sesshomaru smirked as she snapped her head up in anger to face him. She was far too easy to goad at times. But he kept silent, waiting for her to realize what he had done. "How dare you say my fears are foolish?? You're not the one who would be facing certain death if you were to fall from this height!! It's bad enough that Inuyasha is always dragging me with him as he bounds around on treetops, but you…you've got me up her acting as your own personal guinea pig as you 'test' out your powers!!"

"Are you finished?" Sesshomaru asked smoothly when Kagome's rant had come to a pause. Without waiting for a reply, he continued. "I would not have brought us to this height if I was uncertain as to the extent of the abilities I had regained. The trees in the mire were the test, but this," he turned slightly, stretching his arm out to draw her gaze to the night sky, "this is for you. I wanted you to see this."

Kagome swallowed down the nervous lump in her throat before slowly, hesitantly, she began loosening her vice-like grip on Sesshomaru so that she could turn and see what he wanted her to see.

She gasped.

It was magnificent. The sky stretched on forever, and the full moon, held suspended in the sea of deepest black, glowed with a brightness that filled the sky and dwarfed the soft light given off by the distant stars. They were so high, so close to the perfect disk of the moon, she felt as though she could brush her fingers across its surface if she would just reach out to it. She couldn't help but so. Forgetting her fear, forgetting where she was, she pulled back from Sesshomaru, lifting her hand in a trance to reach out towards the distant moon, tracing her fingers across the glowing surface in front of her eyes. A light giggle left her when she realized what she was doing, but she was so enthralled by it that she couldn't stop herself.

Her eyes swept across the vastness of the sky, but soon she found herself with the courage to look down to what lay below. Again, her breath caught at the majesty of what she saw. The land stretched away from them endlessly, so far that she could see the subtle curve across the horizon where the water took over. There was no darkness here, even in the thick of night. It was only another form of light. The land below was illuminated by the soft wash of light from above, reflecting back with faint illumination as the light was caught on the green of the tress and grasses or the shifting blue of flowing waters. The earth was glowing, its magic calling out to her.

"It's so beautiful," she whispered in awe. She felt his arm wrap around her again, pulling her back to lean against him; and she melted into his hold with a soft sigh of content.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you."

His voice was like velvet, sipping across her senses and sending coursing shivers to run through her body. "Why…why did you bring me here?" Her voice was timid and small. Having him with her like this, feeling him so close and hearing him say such things to her; she knew that what she had seen could come to pass, and that now, after everything they had been through and all the time that had passed, they were finally being given the time to cherish each other, to be with the other without the impossible barriers that had been between them.

The question was though; was that why he had brought her here? She slowly turned to look at him once more.

Sesshomaru could see the question in her eyes, but with that, hidden behind the shinning surface of her sapphire eyes, he could see a spark of light; the shining of hope. "I brought you here," he replied slowly, "to show you what life can be like." He turned his head, shifting his gaze across the stretch of land below. "To show you that when you are with me, you need only to ask and the world shall be yours."

"You were right, I am dreaming," she told him with a light giggle. "But I don't really need the world, you know. I'd be happy with just a place to take a nice bath."

Sesshomaru smirked at her innocence. He knew that she hadn't meant to imply what she had, but he couldn't quite reign in the urge to make the most of it. "Then allow me, my Lady, to provide you with what you desire."

Kagome gasped when she realized what had just happened. She tried to tell him not to even think about doing…well anything, but before she could even open her mouth, the air in her lungs was stolen from her as Sesshomaru tightened his hold on her and began moving again. She clamped her eyes closed to keep herself from becoming disoriented by the passing blur of light and shadow that sped by them as they made their decent. Her lungs were tight, refusing to draw air; and for a moment she panicked.

Her powers rose up from within her and instantly the enchanted pendant she wore surged to life. It surrounded her in a shimmering barrier of gold, and instantly she felt the tightness in her chest lessen. She took a deep breath to steady herself. Once she had calmed slightly though, she began feeling a light shaking under her hands. Her head snapped to Sesshomaru, her eyes angry and her lips pulling tight in a scowl.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" she asked him darkly.

His eyes moved to hers, betraying nothing from the hardened gold. "You would not have perished from such a fall. You have proven such a thing yourself. Do not doubt your abilities. You hold more power than you know."

Kagome stared at him unbelieving for a moment, but she quickly turned her head when she felt the strong blush work its way onto her cheeks. She focused her attention instead on where they were going. A soft gasp escaped her when she saw the towering heights of the misted mountains come into view. They rose up before them, an intimidating, dark shadow settled upon the horizon and blocking away the rest of the world. They were closing in on it rapidly. The speeds Sesshomaru was taking them were incredible, and in only moments the mountain became the only thing she could see ahead of them. At its base, the mountain stretched out for miles in either direction and towered above them in equal height. The jagged peaks were looming juggernauts, each wrapped in a taunting layer of swirling white mists that belittled the sharp edges and the imposing danger.

Sesshomaru set them down in a small clearing at the edge of the rocky terrain. The trees still grew on the hardened land, but unlike those in the mire, these were trees of hardwood, built to stand against the unpredictable weather brought about by the mountain looming overhead.

"Well that was quick," Kagome muttered absently as she untwined herself from Sesshomaru and took a step back. "How come you didn't just do that before?" A sharp look from Sesshomaru had Kagome gulping down hard as she proceeded to try and dislodge her foot from her mouth. "Oh, right, the curse thing." She blushed and looked away, mumbling a weak apology as she did so.

"There is no need for an apology." Kagome gasped when she felt him slip his fingers under her chin to turn her to face him. "Forgive me," he asked her quietly when her eyes met with his. "But I am unaccustomed to sharing my reasoning." His hand slipped away and he moved back from her, though his eyes never left hers. "Under normal circumstances, unless speed is imperative, such a method of travel is a waste of energy. Even if it had not been for the effects of the curse, I would not have chosen to evade the swamps by such a method knowing that such energy would likely be needed for other endeavors."

"But then why did you do it now?"

Sesshomaru lifted his shoulders slightly in a small shrug of indifference before replying. "The jewel is self-sustaining. It does not require replenishment for its power source."

"The jewel!" In all the excitement, Kagome had completely forgotten. "Your injuries, are they…ok?"

"I have healed sufficiently," he informed her as he turned and started making his way towards the trees. "Come, miko," he called back over his shoulder. "The night has not yet expired."

Kagome sent him a questioning look, but she quickly realized he wasn't planning on waiting so she pulled herself together and made after him. Once she had stepped into the light covering of trees though, she began to hear the sound of running water. She paused for a moment, thinking that maybe…'Nah,' she dismissed her wayward thoughts, 'I've just been spending too much time with Miroku.' But when she stepped clear of the trees and found the source of the sound, she was struck dumb with what she saw.

A small river that had flowed down from the heights of the mountain passed through the clearing in a gentle stream, collecting in a large basin before spreading out in two directions to disappear into the trees. All around the pond, the grass grew in a lush blanket, covering everything in a soft green. A sudden splash caused Kagome to gasp in surprise. She turned quickly towards the sound and her eyes widened as far as they would go when she realized she was looking at Sesshomaru…in the water…with his clothes nowhere in sight.

She squeaked in shock and embarrassment and quickly spun away.

"Come now, Kagome," came his overly amused voice from behind her. "Surely you are not so modest?"

Kagome bristled at his words, but she still didn't turn around. "I don't know what you think, but I am NOT going to join you in there."

"Then you would prefer to stink of blood and rotted plant life for the remainder of this journey? Suit yourself, though I can not say I am looking forward to having to endure it with you."

Kagome's hands clenched tightly around the straps of her bag as she fought through her anger to form a response. When she found it, an avenging smirk worked its way onto her lips. "This is your blood," she informed him haughtily. "You just admitted to the fact that you stink!"

"That may be so," Sesshomaru replied as he casually brushed through the water towards her, "but I rather enjoy your scent when it is fresh and clean." Before Kagome had registered his movement, he was standing right behind her, his silky voice whispering in her ear. "Remove your clothing, Kagome, or I shall do it for you."

"You wouldn't dare!" she responded heatedly as she spun to face him. She kept her eyes locked to his, refusing to give in to the temptation to allow them to wander.

Sesshomaru smirked at her as he leaned in closer. "Wouldn't I?"

He lifted his hand, stretching out a single finger to brush against her cheek. Kagome's eyes widened as he began to slip his finger over the curve of her jaw, the remaining digits joining the first as he slowly slid his hand down her skin until her reached the parting of her collar. His eyes flashed as his fingers came in contact with the first button of her blouse, and in a second the smell of melting plastic reached her nose. Kagome gasped and pulled back from him. Her right hand came up reflexively to pinch together the fold of cloth. Beneath her hand, pounding furiously in her breast, she could feel the heavy beat of her heart.

Sesshomaru took note of the slight shift in her scent. Her skin was heated with both embarrassment and anger, and flowing like thick fire through her veins, he could detect the sweet spike of her arousal. But there was also fear; subtle and stemming from uncertainty. He sighed. "Kagome, I will not do anything that you do not wish for. Go," he gestured to the trees behind her, "change into your bathing apparel. Then enjoy the water. We will not be permitted any more time for such activities come morning."

Kagome blinked as understanding came to her. She nodded her head slightly and turned towards the trees. However, as she turned her eyes, she had inadvertently lost her determined vision lock on Sesshomaru's eyes, and she managed to catch a glimpse of pale skin gleaming with light moisture in the moonlight. She blushed heavily, but breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing that her…completely accidental…view had been kept decent by the long length of fur that Sesshomaru had curved around his waist. Still…she snuck a glimpse over her shoulder. Sesshomaru was making his way back to the water, giving her a perfect view of his finely toned back behind the silver curtain of his hair which was heavy with moisture and clinging to his body to give the strong ripples of muscle even more definition.

Her body shivered involuntarily at the sight, but she managed to break herself away from the vision with a slight shaking of her head. She looked back to the trees ahead of her, trying desperately to think of anything but for the godly form of the youkai she was sharing company with. She could just imagine him smirking at her all amusedly when he picked up on her arousal…if he hadn't already. Kagome groaned and dropped her pack to the ground behind a nearby tree. Why did it always have to be dogs? Couldn't she find a nice bird or something that wouldn't be able to detect every shift in her body chemistry?

That thought brought a smile to her face as she moved to open her bag and began digging through it for her bathing suit. No, she never would get along with a bird. Besides, birds didn't play fetch…but Sesshomaru…She started giggling. Yes, she was definitely a dog person. After quieting down her mirthful giggles, Kagome quickly stripped off her ruined clothing. She released a small sigh at the thought of having to replace yet another school uniform, but she quickly pushed the thought away and pulled her bathing suit into place.

Once she was dressed appropriately, she grabbed her towel and bathing supplies and stepped back into the clearing by the water. She paused for a moment to look for Sesshomaru. He was in the centre of the pool, swimming languidly with long strokes. She saw his eyes move to her, a sudden flash of gold apart from the darkness of the water and the pale glow of his skin. She shivered again at the intensity of the look he was giving her. His eyes moved over her body, openly drinking in what he was seeing, and she couldn't help the heavy blush that seemed to flush her entire body.

Hoping to draw some attention away from herself and the heated quality of her scent that was no doubt reaching his sensitive nose, Kagome moved quickly to the water. She set her bathing supplied on a large rock at the edge of the pool, then stepped in. The water was warm, still maintaining the heat of the day even in the chill of the night. She smiled in spite of the awkward situation. It felt wonderful. She moved into the water, submerging herself quickly to take away any residual shivers from the temperature difference. When she emerged again, she sagged into the water gratefully, allowing it to cover her up to her neck.

Slowly, without allowing her body to be exposed to the cool brush of the night air above the warm waters, Kagome began making her way back over to her bathing supplies. She worked quickly to clean her skin and her hair of the reminders of the battle from the day before. When she was done, she submerged herself again, swimming lazily under the water to wash away the remainders of soap and shampoo.

When she emerged from the water though, she found herself looking straight at a wet, pale, sculpted chest. She gasped and pulled back, flopping into the water clumsily. After a second or two of floundering in shock, the little priestess managed to collect herself. She straightened, finding her footing in the bottom of the pond, and looked up to Sesshomaru. "Did you want something?" she asked with a curious tilting of her head.

"I want many things," He replied as he stepped closer, "but for now I am content to simply have this time with you."

Kagome began to fidget slightly under the intensity of his gaze. It was just so powerful, and now that there was no anger or distrust blocking him away, she could see his desire for her. It was…hungry. He was making her body course with shivers of excitement with only a look. Her breathing started to shorten, air coming into her lungs in short draws as her heart picked up its pace to send her blood rushing through her, heating her body even in the cool water.

"What if…" she asked quietly as she stepped towards him. "What if I want more? "

When her soft, pleading voice reached him, Sesshomaru could no longer maintain his distance. He crossed over to her, wrapping her in his embrace. Her body stiffened for a moment before she relaxed, melting into his hold as she set her small hands against the plane of his chest to give her leverage to look up at him. He leaned into her, his lips ghosting over hers as he spoke.

"I have offered you the world and it wasn't enough. Would you make a proud man beg for the chance to know your love?"

Oh yeah, like anyone could deny that. Kagome, like any red-blooded female, took her chance to melt into a pile of womanly goo as Sesshomaru claimed her lips and made her feel his passion. But even as she gave into the sensations he was creating for her, even as her body trembled in delight with his touch and her blood heated with lustful fever; her mind was spinning.

Love…was it really possible? Could she love a demon, love a man that had tried to take her life, who had taken the lives of so many others. Could she love someone who had been her enemy, who had given her nightmares of horror and pain, had made her shed tears of loss, of suffering, and of betrayal?

Yes.

Because that wasn't him. Because he was so much more than that. Because when she was with him she no longer felt pain or fear, only a feeling of peace, of contentment, of completion. Because she couldn't imagine her life anymore without him in it.

Because she loved him. And in love there is no reason, no way to fight and no will to do so.

But…she wasn't ready. Though she knew in her heart that this was what she wanted, she couldn't allow things to get carried away…not yet anyways.

Kagome squirmed a bit in Sesshomaru's grasp, pushing herself back from him when he loosened his hold so that she could speak. "Would you roll over?" she asked as she cocked an eyebrow and a devilish smirk pulled up on her lips. Sesshomaru pulled back from her, his eyes narrowing in insult and his chest rumbling slightly in annoyance. But Kagome just laughed and patted him lightly on the chest. "I'm serious, you know," she informed him with a wink as she turned and started making her way out of the water. She stopped and looked back over her shoulder. "I'm sure that I could think of a treat that would make it worth it."

The rumbling in Sesshomaru's chest faded instantly. His eyes widened. 'Did she just…' He shook his head and turned towards the edge of the pool where he had left his clothes soaking to clean them of the dark stain of his blood. "Vixen," he murmured under his breath as he stole one last look at Kagome as she exited the water.

By the time they had both finished dressing and were ready to set out again, the dark shadows of the night had begun to lift. For a moment after they had come clear of the trees into the open stretch of land that led into the mountain, Kagome paused to watch the first rays of the sun break over the horizon. At her side, Sesshomaru turned as well. He moved over to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her back against him, smiling when she released a quiet sigh and relaxed.

"This in nice," she said after a moment. "It almost makes you forget that we're walking into a battle."

"Are you afraid of the battle, Kagome?"

"No," she replied with a wistful smile. "I know you'll protect me, and I know that I can protect myself if I need to. It's just…" she sighed. "It's just that I wish we didn't have to fight. I guess I've never really gotten used to the whole idea."

"It is the way of the world," Sesshomaru replied smoothly. "We do not fight because we want to, but because we know that there is something much greater at stake."

"I know," she whispered quietly. "But it doesn't have to be that way. One day…" She paused; watching as the sun finally crested over the horizon and spilled its light over the land. The sky was ignited with fires of blazing red, chasing away the shadows of the night. It was a new day, a new dawn; and with it came a new hope for the future. "One day we will all find peace."

Kagome's eyes began filling with moisture, and she was soon forced to look away from the building light. She blinked away the sting in her eyes, but as she did the tears that had gathered there spilled over. But still she smiled. Her tears were those of hope, of faith, and of understanding. She would fight her battles, on this day and the ones to follow. She would keep the people of the land safe against what threatened them by doing what she could for this time and for all others. And one day, she knew; there would be a free land and its people would know peace.

As she turned and set her sights to the mountain ahead, a lone tear managed to fall from her face. It landed softly against the grasses of the field, mingling together with the light moisture settled upon the land from the night. For the land, too, knew of the hope brought by the rising of the sun, and it shed its tears as well.

Tears of the morning.

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Awww...would you look at that. A nice fluffy chapter for #30. It's amazing that this story has reached 30 chapters though. I had never imagined that I could pull of so many tears. But then, there is still a lot of story to go, and that means many more tears that I have to concoct.

Well, till next time then.

A tear in the Shadows goes unseen but not unfelt


	31. Tears of the Heart

Tears of the Rueful

Tears of the Heart

Kagome wasn't the type of person to seek revenge. She was more the 'forgive and forget' type of person. However, there were certain circumstances in which she found herself treading on a very thin line of ditching the whole idea of forgiveness and opting for the 'shoot first ask questions later' or even the 'kill 'em all and sort 'em out after they're dead' type of response. Now was one of those times.

'_I'm going to kill that blasted dog!'_ was the only thought running through her head as she darted away from yet another earth-shattering blast of hellfire spouted by the massive dragon that had labeled her as its new prey.

Crouching low within the fiercely burning red of her barrier and hidden within the still-burning flames of the dragon's attack, the young priestess took a moment to regain her lost breath. Even with the magic of her barrier radiating strongly around her, she still couldn't escape all of the heat or the strain of having to dart across unsteady terrain to catch a sturdy foothold before yet another section of the jagged peaks was torn apart by the dragon's attacks. Her breathing was forced and labored and coming to her in shortened draws, and even then she could feel the heat in the air scorching against her lungs.

Reluctantly, Kagome lifted her head to track the progress of the dragon. All she could see of it was a dark shadow moving through the mist. But, being that she had spent the better part of an hour playing tag with the beast, she had picked up on more than a few of its tricks. Of course, she had also learned that along with being nimble, agile, fast, powerful, and damn near impossible to hit with an arrow; the dragon was also stubbornly persistent in its pursuits.

She released a venomous oath under her breath that promised pain to one very noticeably absent dog demon as she watched the shifting shadow. It was moving closer to see if it most recent blast had taken her down. _Pft,'_ she snorted mentally, _Stupid dragon. If you didn't get me with the last fifty tries, what makes you think the last one was going to be any different?'_

Still, she knew she couldn't stay where she was. The dragon's attack had cleared the area of any loose rock or debris, leaving her as an easy target for its massive maw should it get close enough to snatch her from the rocks; and since she had absolutely no intention of becoming dinner for the beast, that meant she had to make a break for it…again.

Gulping down a few more heavy breaths and preparing herself for the complaint of her over-exerted muscles, Kagome rose from her guarding position and moved as fast as her weary limbs would take her across the rocky terrain. With every step she could feel the painful sting of her muscles, but she had to keep going. She had learned very quickly that if she could only put enough distance between the dragon and herself that it would take the beast longer to try and find her again within the swirling mists. Of course, that was before she had taken a rather nasty fall against the jagged rock and had managed to collect a few rather unpleasant cuts on her legs…which even now were still dripping blood to leave a clear path for the dragon to follow…but there was nothing to be done about that now. She had to keep running.

Ahead of her, calling out like a teasing beacon of light through the dense blanket of fog, she could see the radiant glow of the Shikon…both of them, one light and one dark. She scowled angrily. This was all that witch's doing…well…hers and the stupid dog's for taking off after her the way he did.

Just who the hell did he think he was sauntering off into the mists and leaving her behind? Ok, so, she got that he was a bit pissed when he found out that Tsubaki had used her curse to convert his powers into serving her; but that still didn't give him the right to go all beastly and savage and leave her behind so that he could find his vengeance in the form of shredding the dark miko into pieces so small they would never be found!

Though Kagome knew full well that Tsubaki was deserving of her fate, gruesome as it may be; that still didn't mean she was very pleased with the method that Sesshomaru had chosen to deliver it. Her biggest issue, of course, being that in his haste to give chase to the dark miko she had been left alone, on the mountain, in the mists, with a _dragon_. To his credit, Sesshomaru probably didn't know that the dragon was within range of attack when he had taken off after Tsubaki, but then, he damn well should have! It was his fucking dragon!

TTTTTTTTTT

The miko, however, wasn't giving the old dog enough credit.

Sesshomaru knew that the dragon was going to show itself sooner or later. Though he had rather hoped for later so that he could be with the miko when the fire-breathing one made its debut, he still would much rather her face the beast than the dark miko. True, he had been angry, to say the least, when he discovered that his own powers were being used by such unworthy vermin, but that was not his reason for giving chase to the wench.

Kagome hadn't seen it, he knew, but when the witch had first unleashed her whips of light in an attack against them, she had been dangerously close to hitting the young miko. The barrier protecting the girl was still responding to his energy signatures and so it did not react in response to the dark miko's attack. If he hadn't been so close to her or if he hadn't been able to call upon his own acid whips to deflect the blow, Kagome would have been in serious trouble. He couldn't chance her getting injured again, not when he could do something about it. So when the witch had taken flight after realizing that her curse no longer held him incapacitated, he had given chase, leaving the young miko behind but safe from the danger the witch posed to her.

The witch was attempting to use the mists to throw off his pursuit and she had even stooped to sending out waves of her serpentine beasts to slow him, but he was steadily gaining ground. Still, it wasn't fast enough. In the distance, concealed from his senses by the heavy mists and the howling winds, he could feel Kagome distress as she fought against the dragon. He wanted so badly to be able to go to her, but he knew that he couldn't. Not only that, but he truly believed that she would find a way to bring the beast down on her own. She was powerful. She had proved it time and time again. She would prevail against the dragon.

He needed to focus on his hunt. The daylight was already waning. Soon night would fall and they had yet to reach the summit, though it was rather fortunate that the witch seemed to be headed in that direction. Of course, he wasn't so obtuse as to believe she didn't have a reason for leading him there, and, admittedly, the summit was a rather obvious place for something to be if one was presumed to be looking for something, so it stood to reason that the witch was seeking to lure him into revealing the secrets of the mountain to her. But it wasn't as though he was about to do such a thing. So, basically, the ignorant witch was backing herself into a corner that she would not escape from with her life in tact.

Still, even as he gave chase to the witch, he could not keep his thoughts from straying back to the little miko he had left behind.

TTTTTTTTTT

'_End of the line.'_

Kagome had run out of room. Literally. She was standing at the edge of a sheer drop, the path ahead lost and the one behind blocked by the dragon closing in on her. She knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. One wrong turn, one cruel twist of fate; and she was trapped. She had no other options. She would have to stand and fight.

Her body surged with a new rush of adrenaline as she turned to face down the approaching shadow; it pulsed through her veins like a raging fire, filling her with resolve, drawing out her most hidden powers. When flight was no longer an option, there was only the fight left. And she would fight. Still, she knew that her arrows were all but useless against the dragon. She had tried many times to catch the beast with her magic, but every time it had used its speed and agility and the concealing deceptions of the swirling mists to evade her assaults.

So then, what was left for her to do? How could she fight when she couldn't even hit the dragon with her weapon?

The answer came to her in a rush when she felt the tremendous surge of energy that was her forewarning of the dragon's fire attack. It was a predictable creature. It would launch its most powerful attack the moment it knew its prey was within range, and immediately following, bar any resistance force from its target, the dragon would swoop in close in an attempt to snatch its prey from the rocks, finishing the game of chase. And it was this that the young miko was going to use to her full advantage.

Kagome moved from the edge of the falloff to a more sturdy section of the rock where she could wait out the blast of the attack. It came at her in a wall of fire that hammered into the stone, an inferno of unrelenting heat and oppressive force; but she held firm against it. Around her, surging up in radiant draws of flashing crimson, the magic of the enchanted barrier kept the deadly force of the heat from breaking through to her, and within its confines Kagome was steeling herself for what came next.

When at last the torrent of flames began to die down and the shifting shadow within the mists could be seen drawing ever closer, the young miko could hardly contain her anxiety or her anticipation. She stood, tall and proud, open and exposed on the barren rocks; but even so there was a devilish smile pulling on her lips.

'_Come on, dragon,'_ she taunted mentally as she watched the dark shadow begin to take on more size and shape apart from the swirling of the mists. _'Eat me.'_ Of course, there was a part of her that was screaming out the complete and utter stupidity of this entire train of thought, but the young miko smothered the annoying voice that was reason and proceeded with her plan of action.

In a sudden rush of movement, the dragon finally pulled away from the swirling white mists. It long, lithe body was covered with thick scales of red like molten lava. It wings, stretching out from its muscled shoulders were massive extensions of thick scales spaced by heavy bands of flexing tendon that acted like fingers to draw and tense the great projections in intricate motions to give the beast its agility. And its head, a fearsome visage of fiery scales and razor edges, consisted of an elongated snout with nostrils still smoking from its last fire attack and filled with rows of jagged teeth protruding from a crown of deadly horns that stretched out in a protective shell. Its eyes locked onto her, fire red irises split by an elongated pupil to give them a fierce and cat-like appearance.

As she had expected, the dragon lunged for her the moment it came into striking range. It jaws snapped wide, revealing the terrible array of deadly teeth; but still she held her ground, watching raptly as it drew ever closer. In only seconds it was on her, seizing her with its powerful jaws. Around her, the barrier shuddered with the impact, the force of it rippling across the magical projection in chaotic tumbles of shifting power; but, once the initial shock had passed and even as the dragon began applying more and more force through its massive jaws, the barrier held firm.

So, standing within the cage of razor teeth and in the current of brimstone breath coming from the belly of the dragon, Kagome brought her weapon up, set and ready to fire against the soft inner flesh of the fire-breathing dragon.

"Any last words?" she asked with quiet confidence. She knew it had already been beaten.

TTTTTTTTTT

"The dragon's roars have stopped," Tsubaki sneered at Sesshomaru from behind her concealment of the dancing mists. "Perhaps your miko is dead."

Sesshomaru sniffed. Such stupidity did not deserve a response. He kept his attention on the snake beasts around him. They could try to hide their passage in the thick of the mists, but he could still detect their movements…it just took a bit of improvising and some quick work with whips to manipulate the mists. Two of the snakes fell under his claws with one strike and three more once the blood of the first scented the air and brought those nearby close enough.

But the snakes were nothing but a nuisance. "Are you so cowardly, witch, that you still refuse to face me? You think that by hiding behind Naraku's beasts that you will be safe from the repercussions of your transgression?"

"Oh, I have no need to hide, dog," the dark miko informed him as another peel of fiendish laughter flowed out of her and into the mists. "I only thought that now that the Shikon miko is dead, that you would be interested in the services of another miko to retrieve whatever it is in that cave that you are trying to reach."

"Let me guess," Sesshomaru smirked as his claws ripped through yet another of the serpent beasts. The mountain pass was narrowing towards the collapse from his last journey to this place, and the witch was running out of room to run. "You tried to send your serpents through the opening and they never came back out. What makes you think you would be any more effective, witch?"

"I have many talents," the dark miko replied smoothly. "But then it appears that you also have many hidden talents. I never would have thought that the demon Lord of the Western lands would lower himself to gaining power by selling his body to a miko whore…But then, like father like son."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed sharply in fury as he started forward through the thinning mists again, intent on bringing the witch down swiftly. She had nowhere else to run and she would soon pay the price for her impudence.

Finally, the dark robed figure came into his range of vision. She did not move as he approached; only stood still and hidden within the dark confines of her robes. Something was amiss. Sesshomaru slowed as he drew nearer, alert and ready for the trap that was no doubt waiting for him, but still he continued forward. He would kill the witch.

When he had come nearly close enough to engage the dark robbed figure, it shifted with a flurry of movement that rustled the long robes, causing them to billow out around the small form they concealed. Suddenly, the robes parted, and from out of the dark confines a barrage of binding sutras were shot forth. Sesshomaru reacted quickly, sending out his light whips to shred the slips of parchment before they could come in contact with his body, but even as the parchment fell in broken pieces to the rocks below he knew that something was still off.

His arm moved out again and again the hissing streamers of light and poison pulled from his fingers into the space beyond. They tore into the dark robes of his hidden opponent, tearing them to shredded shambles of cloth that fell limply away from the figure underneath.

There, looking up at him with dull, soulless eyes, stood a human girl, a child no more than Rin's age. She wore the clothing of a priestess, the human symbol of those born with sacred powers to command. The girl moved, a sluggish response with jerky motions, and brought her hands up. Sacred sutra's burned with holy power in her hands, and again she cast them off towards him.

Sesshomaru pulled back from the girl and made quick work of the parchment with his whips again. He could easily see that the child was not acting of her own volition. This was the creature the witch had possessed to do her bidding, and he would not kill the child simply because it was the witch's desire.

But why? Why did she wish for him to kill this simple human child? She was nothing more than a pawn, a diversion. What benefit could the dark miko possibly gain from her death?

Unless…it was not what the dark miko would gain from the act, but what he would loose. By taking the life of a human child, of any child, he would be committing himself to the darkest parts of his demonic nature. Such an act would be fed upon greedily by the cursed Shikon, and it would once again become darkened regardless of the seal of Kagome had placed upon it when she gave it to him.

Sesshomaru growled lightly in aggravation. The witch believed him to be a monster, believed he had no sense of honor, that he would take the life a child with no thought simply because she had attacked him. How pathetic. It was she that was the monster, she that would corrupt the mind of an innocent, use their life to her own gains without thought or care.

With a new understanding, Sesshomaru lifted his claws again towards the small child-priestess, but rather than calling upon his whips of light, he brought forth his poison, releasing it in a gentle mist potent enough to cause the girl to loose consciousness but not enough to kill her. When the child slipped to the ground in a limp sleep, Sesshomaru turned away from her and set his sights into the mists once again. Behind him, he could hear the hissing of the serpent beasts as they collected the fallen form of the child, but he paid them no heed. It was the witch that was his target; the child was no concern of his.

"This Sesshomaru tires of your games, witch," he called out to the dark miko, his voice a low growl that resonated angrily against the stone walls of the pass. "Your end is now."

His hand came up smoothly to grip the hilt of Tokijin, and in one swift motion, the sword had been released and the searing bolts of its attack streaked ahead into the mist. The white cloud shifted ominously, white spilling over white in an endless sea; but the heat from his attack was burning away at the moisture, lifting the haze from his senses.

It was like he had been given back his abilities all over again. He felt such a surging rush of power that it nearly overcame him. It was coursing through his veins like wildfire, igniting the eternal flames into an inferno of destruction. His prey was within his sights, and he would revel in her blood and feast upon her flesh. The world began to bleed, everything taking on the mask of crimson, the blanket of death. All would perish against him.

Sesshomaru stopped suddenly. It wasn't him. He wasn't thinking these things.

Deep within him, he could feel the strong pulse of the Shikon's magic. It had been darkened, polluted by the evil of the blade he was using, the demon fang crafted from one on Naraku's own incarnations. The curse of the Jewel was trying to overpower the pure light holding it, trying to sway him to its dark purpose. It did not matter though, he would not heed it. The jewel was a trinket, a bobble, a useless artifact coveted by even more useless vermin to give them the power they knew their worthless existences could never attain otherwise. Though he carried it within him now due to Kagome's rather impulsive act, he refused to use any power that had not been his own. The jewel would never control his actions.

No. He would not have his victory this way. He would not loose himself to a false power, to an imitation of true strength. The red slowly bled from his vision as he returned Tokijin to its resting place by his side.

But the damage had been done, and the siren call of the jewel's cursed power that rang out to him in a thundering pulse was also calling to another.

TTTTTTTTTT

Ok, so she really hadn't been expecting a response from the dragon when she asked it for its last words, but imagine the young miko's surprise when she heard the beast respond to her in a deep rumble that shook through its massive frame and sent vibrations running through her from her position within the beast's great maw.

"Don't kill," it had asked of her, "can help the little peoples."

Unexpected; totally, but still very much appreciated. Even within the deceiving blanket of white mists, Kagome could tell that night had fallen. There was still some time before Kaguya's spell would take hold. If she recalled correctly, it would come at some time near midnight. But still, she knew that the mountain's summit was some ways away and Sesshomaru was still noticeably absent. If the dragon was willing to help her in return for its life, then Kagome was more than happy to make a deal.

"Ok," she replied slowly as she loosened the tension in her bowstring. "But…could you maybe let me down on the ground? No offense, but your breath really is horrible."

The dragon grunted, causing another rush of warm air smelling of rotted flesh and brimstone to wash over the young miko, but it still shifted its position in the air and she soon felt the jarring impact as the dragon's heavy frame set down upon the rocs of the mountain. It lowered its head, its jaws opening to relieve the crippling pressure from her barrier, and with relative ease Kagome managed to climb her way over the razor points of the cage of the dragon's teeth to make her way to the ground again.

Once on the ground, the young miko took a moment to brush her hands over her clothing, a futile attempt to rid herself of the feeling of just having been inside of something's mouth, but it was therapeutic. After somewhat ridding herself of the uncomfortable sensations, Kagome turned her attention to the dragon. It was looking at her intently, its burning, cat-like eyes boring into her; but it did not seem angry, more like shocked and perhaps a little confused.

But the dragon wasn't the only one feeling a little confused. "I didn't know you could talk," Kagome informed the dragon with a light blush. "Sorry for not trying earlier, but you were kinda trying to kill me and all."

The dragon snorted, but given the size of the beast and the fact that its heavy breath was accompanied by a light stream of fire billowing out from its nostrils, the gesture was not nearly as passive as it might have seemed. "Little peoples are trespassing."

"Right…" she giggled a little in nervousness. "But technically, I was here before you."

The dragon cocked its head as it narrowed its eyes. "Lies."

"No!" Kagome waved her hands in front of herself to plead for a little leeway. "It's true. I was here about 200 years ago. I came with the Inu youkai that put you here in the first place. We left something here and have come to retrieve it."

"Magic of the mountain is great, little peoples. Even dragon can not breech it."

"That's ok," Kagome chirped happily, "but I would really, really appreciate it if you could take me to the peak where the magic is. After that, it's up to me to find the portal."

"Little peoples defeat dragon, but show mercy. Dragon will help little peoples."

Kagome cringed a little at that. "Err…my name is Kagome." When the dragon just gave her a blank look, she tried again. "That's what other people call me, Kagome. What about you, don't you have a name, something your…ummm…friends call you?"

"Dragon," the dragon replied.

"Your name is dragon?" Well…that's not very…original. Hey! How's about I give you a name?!" The dragon blinked, seemingly unimpressed, but Kagome wasn't phased. "How about…Dracco! That's a great dragon name!" She smiled brightly and nodded her head in agreement with herself. "From now on, I'm going to call you Dracco, and you can call me Kagome, ok?"

"Ka…go…me?" the dragon tested her name slowly.

"Yup!" Kagome replied with a radiant grin. "You've got it! Now we are friends! And together we can…."

Suddenly, Kagome's whole body became rigid. She sucked in a terrified breath and slowly, hesitantly turned towards the direction of the summit. When her sight finally fell on the light of the Shikon, the breath she had been holding left her in a rush. It was worse than she had imagined. The dark light of the tainted Shikon was being emanated by both of the jewels. Even the one she had given to Sesshomaru had been tainted. But that was not the worst of it. She could see the waves of power being given off by both of the cursed stones, but one was drawing power from the other.

The curse, she thought with a shudder of horror. The curse Tsubaki had cast was still working, only now, instead of drawing energy from Sesshomaru himself, it was drawing off from the power of the jewel within him. And with the jewel tainted, however it had happened; the dark miko no longer had to fear the pure light of the Shikon in its cleansed state.

"Kagome?"

The deep rumble of the dragon's voice from behind her had Kagome turning back to him. "We have to get up there," she told him quickly. "There isn't much time left."

The dragon nodded shortly at the little priestess. He shifted his weight, allowing himself to lift one of his massive feet. He stretched his talons out, careful of the razor edges by the tiny priestess, and closed the crimson bars around her middle with deceptive gentleness for their fierce nature. Instinctively she tried to pull back, her barrier surging to life around her, but a deep rumble of displeasure coming from the dragon had Kagome looking up into his cat-like eyes. Through the shimmering gold of her barrier, the young priestess could see the soft, curious look in the dragon's eyes. The fire red no longer frightened her, and with a deep breath, she collapsed her barrier, allowing the curved bars of the dragon's talons to wrap around her body.

Kagome was beyond nervous as she watched the dragon's talons close her into their cage, but she fought through it. Dracco had not shown her anything that would suggest he would not keep his word, and she had no other choice but to trust him now. She needed to get to Sesshomaru, and the fastest way for that to happen was for her to accept the help of the dragon. Carefully, she set her hands on the dragon's scaled skin, testing it slightly for abrasiveness before tightening her grip.

"Alright," she said softly, "Let's go."

With the soft order from the miko, the dragon unfolded its great wings from its back, stretching them out languidly for a moment before setting himself ready for flight. With a powerful push from the rock base he was resting on, Dracco pushed into the mists. He flew through the jagged peaks, with all their deadly edges and treacherous mists, easily, long ago having memorized the twists and turns and dangers of the mountain he called home.

For the dragon, the situation he found himself in was strange. He had never really had any kind of association with another being before. Mostly, all creatures that sought him out wanted only to kill him, but this human, this Kagome, she was different. He had known even during their battle that the girl was different. No other had ever been able to stand up to his attacks for such a long time, and her power when she released her arrows was immense. He had only scarcely missed being struck on several occasions, and even then he could feel the raw burn of power that brushed by him because of it. But the power he felt was not dark and tainted as so many others were. Her power was pure. And when she had released him, shown him mercy even after their battle and after she had him beaten, he knew that her heart was pure as well.

Dracco was a dragon, a creature of myth and magic, and what he knew above all thing was the power of the world. He could see that power in this small human. It was a power of light, a power of purity stemmed from her kindness and compassion. She was a creature that walked on the side of goodness, a servant of the gods but also of her own heart. He knew that a great destiny lay ahead for her, and he felt blessed to be given the chance to prove his worth to the powers that be in helping this woman-child succeed in her mission.

They traveled through the mists with the speed and agility that only a dragon could have when maneuvering through such treacherous terrain, and in only a few moments, both the dragon and the young miko could feel the restless energies of the battle raging ahead.

TTTTTTTTTT

"What's the matter, dog?" Tsubaki taunted as she allowed herself to be taken over by a fit of wicked laughter. "Are you feeling weak?"

Sesshomaru growled in anger and moved in again for an attack. His whips shot out in flowing arcs of light, but they reached nothing but air and mist as Tsubaki had used her speed to evade him yet again. It was becoming tiresome, especially since the speed she was using had been stolen from him. But it was more than that. The witch wasn't even bothering to attack. All she was doing was evading, and Sesshomaru knew exactly why.

He could feel it, subtly at first, but with growing intensity as time passed, the power the Shikon had been supplementing him with was slowing being siphoned off. The darkness of the jewel had allowed the witch's curse to come back into effect, and she was now drawing off of the power of two of the jewels. He knew he could not allow her to gain full control of both. This battle needed to be brought to its end, and it needed to be done now.

Setting his jaw against the oncoming surge of dark power from the jewel, Sesshomaru reached again for Tokijin. He knew he may only get one shot at this, and he was going to make it count. With one last blinding burst of speed, Sesshomaru released Tokijin and brought himself in range of attack. He brought the blade of the demon sword down strongly against the witch, sending searing waves of energy charging forth to consume everything in their path.

The dark miko hissed in fury when she saw the tremendous blast heading for her. Her eyes shifted from the gold of her misgotten power back to deathly black, flashing with wicked intentions. She threw her dark robes wide crating a flurry of movement, and then pulled herself back behind her living shield.

From behind the attack, Sesshomaru's eyes widened in shock and revulsion when he caught sight of the child-pawn of the witch standing in line of the attack. But there was nothing he could do to stop it now. The heat of his attack ripped through the girl's tender flesh savagely, tearing her body into an unrecognizable mass of blood and flesh. The only consolation to the atrocity was the fact the girl's mind was not her own, so the horror of her death would not be hers either.

But such destruction, such wrongful carnage against such an innocent being, had fed the darkness of the Shikon with a vengeance. Its dark power surged within him, rising up in waves of screaming madness, crushing in its terrible weight. Sesshomaru growled angrily as he fought against the surging magic, but he refused to allow the cursed jewel to control him. His grip on his sword tightened and he moved forward again to confront the dark miko.

As he moved towards her, Sesshomaru was forced to fend off several of the witch's pathetic attacks against him. Though she had stolen his abilities, she was still a novice at using them and her form was weak and easily deflected. Even the hissing serpents that were streaming out of the mists to come to the aid of their mistress were nothing but obstacles to be removed, and he easily cut them down when they crossed his path.

When the dark miko was once again within his sights, Sesshomaru lifted his blade and again unleashed its devastating attack.

But before the lancing bolts of energy could reach her, Tsubaki had managed to draw off enough power to erect a barrier around herself. She peered out from behind the wall of her stolen security, her dark eyes glinting with anticipation. Naraku wasn't the only being who knew how to control the flows of energy to turn them against their wielder.

"You will never win!" she hissed out, her grating voice cracking with the sick undertone of her amusement.

But the dark miko could not have been more wrong. Even as she spoke her words and made herself believe them, there was another force at work that would silence her laughter.

From above, slipping out from the churning mists like a phantom on the wind, the red dragon appeared. From her place in the dragon's hold, Kagome already had her weapon trained on the dark miko. Her arrow loosed almost in tandem with Sesshomaru's attack, streaking through the mists of the mountain in a radiant draw of light. The sacred energies infused into the wood of the arrow burned through the dark miko's barrier in an instant, and still the arrow continued on its path. True to its mark, it struck the dark Shikon in Tsubaki's possession, ripping it away from her corrupt hands.

Without the power of the Shikon to feed her strength, and with no other means of protection, Tsubaki was left helpless against the furious power of Sesshomaru's attack. It tore through her hanyou flesh mercilessly, filling her with excruciation pain. A scream of abject horror and anguish tore forth from her as her body succumbed to the force, but soon her voice was stilled. Her life, the false life she had been given by the wicked Naraku, was no more.

From her position in the cage of the dragon's claws, Kagome released a heavy sigh of relief. "It's over," she whispered quietly. She turned her attention back up to her new friend. "Hey Dracco, can you set down there?" she asked as she pointed into the rubble laden canyon.

"Can land. Will not." At Kagome's questioning look, the dragon elaborated. "Inu is tainted. Will hurt Kagome."

"No," Kagome shook her head firmly. "I know about the taint that is in him, but he's been fighting the darkness for a lot longer than you know. He can control it. He will not hurt me."

Dracco gave the young miko a curious look, but when he saw so clearly her resolve, he knew there was nothing he could do to change her mind. He brought them down into the canyon, landing a safe distance away from the powerful dog. But the moment he loosened his hold on the girl, she was squeezing her way out from between his claws and running the distance between her and the youkai.

"Sesshomaru!" She called his name with something between excitement, happiness, anger, and frustration. Honestly, she couldn't figure out if she wanted to hug him, or haul off and slug him a good one for leaving her the way he did. However, she was brought to an abrupt stop when he turned to her and she saw the burning crimson of his eyes. "Sesshomaru?" It was a quiet question, asking without asking if he was alright.

"Do not approach," he growled out, his voice a deep rumble of carnal vibrations.

Kagome wanted to say something, to do something, but all her ideas were promptly thrown out the window when she saw Sesshomaru shift and impale Tokijin deeply into his left side. She gasped in horror, but her horror was soon turned to understanding.

Sesshomaru pulled the blade of the demon sword from his flesh without flinching. He set the tip of the blade into the stone at his feet, freeing his hand to reach into the newly formed wound. His fingers pressed through skin and muscle, working daftly to wrap around the pulsing jewel embedded within him. With a short burst of power and a hard pull, he dislodged the Shikon from where it had been bound to him and pulled it from his body.

With a quick flick of his wrist, Sesshomaru tossed the darkly glowing jewel towards the young priestess. Kagome caught it somewhat clumsily, but she did catch it. Once in her hands, the dark glow began to fade away, becoming once more the gentle pink of purity. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked back to Sesshomaru. He wasn't looking at her though. His head was tilted slightly to the side as he looked back through the mists.

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked him quietly as she started towards him again. "Is there something the matter?"

He turned to her, his eyes once more the calm and placid gold. "Nothing that can not be rectified," he said, his hand coming up to rest lightly against the hilt of Tenseiga by way of explanation.

Kagome though, still didn't know what he was talking about, and she watched curiously as he began walking back through the valley. He came to a stop when he reached a bloody heap on the stone and she finally began to understand.

Sesshomaru pulled Tenseiga from its sheath. In his hand, it pulsed with waves of soothing heat. His eyes became hooded, heavy with magic as his vision shifted, seeing beyond the realm of this plane of existence. Before him, hovering over the torn and battered body of the child, the caretakers of the dead came into view. He lifted his blade, its magic singing through the air in its eerie song, and brought it down, cutting through the servants of the dead.

The body of the girl became immersed in the brilliant light of the Sword of Heaven, her body being healed of its wounds even as her soul was being called back from the passage to the beyond. Sesshomaru waited. The choice now would be hers and hers alone.

Then, so soft it could almost have been missed, there was pulse, and then another and another. A sharp drawing in of air into her newly reformed lungs was the final sign of the girl's awakening. Her eyes slipped open wearily, revealing soft brown orbs instead of the blankness of her mind-altered state. When her vision focused enough for her to see the one standing over her, the girl gasped in fright.

"Youkai…" she murmured weakly, but her words were lost as she choked on a fearful sob.

Sesshomaru scoffed in irritation and turned away from the girl. "She lives," he informed Kagome at her questioning look. "I have no further obligations to her."

Kagome though, didn't feel absolved of responsibility. Here was this young girl, stuck on a mountain, with no way to know how in the world to get off, and she was all alone. In her heart, Kagome knew she couldn't just leave the girl, and she would have put money on the fact that Sesshomaru knew that as well. She rolled her eyes dramatically behind the back of the Taiyoukai, huffed slightly, and then started making her way over to the girl.

"Hey, kiddo," she greeted as she kneeled down next to the child and reached out to help her sit up. "You sure are a lucky one to be alive now."

"I was…dead." The girl spoke softly, her voice filled with uncertainty, and her watery eyes looking to Kagome for answers. A part of her knew that she had died, and yet, she remained in the world of the living. How was such a thing possible?

"Yeah," Kagome replied slowly. "You were dead, but Sesshomaru brought you back because…well….ummmm…"

"Sesshomaru?" the girl asked. "But that is the name of a youkai."

Kagome sighed slightly at the girl's obvious distrust of all youkai. "Not all youkai are bad," she told the girl. "And Sesshomaru, well, he's not exactly all sunshine and roses, but he's got a good heart. You were being used by a witch for your spiritual powers, and, obviously, you died as a result of the battle. Sesshomaru must have taken responsibility for your death and gave you back your life once the battle had been won."

"Why would a youkai do that for me? I'm in training to become a miko."

"Sesshomaru's reasons are usually his own, but being a miko doesn't bother him. I'm a miko too and I think he's rather fond of me." Kagome paused to pull the girl to her feet. She took her hand and started leading her back through the mists. "You're going to have to get past you biases about youkai," she continued as the walked. "Not all of them are bad. A lot of them are bad, but not all. Sometimes, such beings only need a little bit of understanding."

Kagome smirked when she heard the girl take in a sharp breath, knowing exactly what she was seeing. "Take Dracco here," she supplied as she gestured up to the dragon perched on the stones ahead of them, "I bet you're thinking that dragons are all evil, right? Well, he's dangerous and deadly, that's for sure, but he's not evil. In fact, he was the one that helped me get here. And you know what else?" Kagome paused and looked down at the girl, giving her a gentle smile as she shook her head slowly and dazedly, her eyes still trained on the massive form of the dragon ahead of them. "Dracco's going to be the one to take you home."

The girl gasped in shock and fright, and Dracco snorted his fiery snort in protest. "Oh, come on guys!" Kagome pleaded. "I can't do everything here! Dracco, say hello to…errr….hey kid, what's your name?"

"Mira…"

"Right! Ok, Dracco, say hello to Mira." The dragon grunted something not quite identifiable, but he did lower his head slightly and give the girl a light sniff. "Close enough!" Kagome chirped with superficial cheeriness. "Now, you too, Mira. Say hello to Dracco." The girl opened her mouth, but the only sound that came out was a high pitched squeak.

Kagome sighed again and brought her free hand up to massage her temples. "Look, I can't stay with you two for very long. I've got my own problems to deal with. But Dracco, you said that you would help me and I'm holding you to your word; and Mira, Dracco's the only one who can get you off of this mountain, so you two had better start getting along." Wearily, Kagome looked from the girl to the dragon. They both still appeared hesitant, but time was so short. "Alright?" she asked, though the question was more of a demand.

Beside her, Mira sniffled quietly, but she nodded her head in agreement. And Dracco, though his eyes were narrowed slightly in displeasure, also gave his acceptance with a low grunt.

"Wonderful!" Kagome exclaimed as she released the girl's hand and gave her a slight shove in the direction of the dragon. "Now, I've gotta go. Good luck you two! And maybe one day we will all meet again." With that, Kagome smiled brightly and waved goodbye. She turned on her heel and began walking away, leaving two very reluctant beings behind.

Mira shifted nervously, her hands wringing together so tightly that he knuckles were turning white, and her eyes wide in fright and beginning to shine with the soft moisture of her unshed tears. She had wanted the miko to stay. She felt safe and protected when she was with her, knowing that she was her kind and seeing the gentle care that the miko was giving her. But now she was all alone, and there was no way home for her except for the big, scary, fire-breathing dragon that didn't seem like he wanted anything to do with her. She was so lost and so scared, but she couldn't seem to move. Her breath hitched and her tears began to fall.

Dracco could smell the salt brimming on the air, and he released a heavy breath. "Do not cry, little peoples," he told the girl as quietly as his deep, booming voice would allow. "Dragon will keep his word to friend Kagome."

The dragon's assurance helped greatly with Mira's distress. Knowing that he was really going to help her, and hearing the beast call the miko his friend, put the girl at ease. The breath she had been holding slowly began to leave her. She blinked a couple of times to fight back her tears, and began to relax her body. "I…I've never met a real dragon," she told Dracco in a small voice. "I…I am glad that it was you and not a scary one that my people always talk about."

Dracco huffed, a few tendrils of flames pouring from his nostrils as he expanded his chest. "Dragon is too scary," he informed her haughtily.

"Yes, very scary," the girl agreed as she watched the trials of fire with wide eyes. "But…but you are a nice scary," she whispered as her cheeks flushed with a light pink.

Dracco eyed the girl curiously for a moment before snorting lightly to stop the flow of his fire. How did he get himself involved in human affairs again? Oh, that's right; it was that miko's doing. He released a long, sighing breath as he resigned himself to his new mission. It was going to be a very long couple of days.

TTTTTTTTTT

"You know that you can not take it."

Kagome sighed heavily at Sesshomaru's words. He was right, of course, but that didn't make her feel any better about it.

It was right in front of her, its dark light calling out to her, begging to be made pure once more. She was so close. All she had to do was reach out and the Shikon would be hers. Without it, Naraku could never regain power. So many lives would be spared, so much suffering would be prevented, so much pain would be as though it had never been.

But she couldn't do it. If she were to take the jewel now the entire timeline would be thrown into disarray. The events that had led to her first journey through time would never have occurred, meaning she would never have been sent back to create the change. Nothing would come of her action but chaos. Everything she and her friends had worked so hard for, all of the sacrifices that had been made would all be forsaken.

She knew that she could not, but her heart ached with the knowledge of what leaving the jewel behind would mean. There was so much suffering still to come because of the cursed jewel, and she was standing here, with it in her reach, and she couldn't allow herself to take hold of it, she couldn't be the one to change its course.

All of the fighting, all of the death and loss caused by the evil of the corrupted stone; all of it could be ended here and now. But it could be, too, that in taking the jewel, that she would make things worse, that the timeline would be altered so drastically and so reprehensibly that more suffering would result, that more death and more loss would occur in place of what she had known.

But couldn't she stop it, she wondered? Couldn't she use the power of the jewel to prevent the carnage, to put an end to the suffering? Wasn't there something that she could do? Something? Anything?

"I…can't…" Her words were choked with heavy sobs. She couldn't do it. She couldn't walk away knowing that she would be condemning so many lives to such horrendous pain and suffering. She couldn't walk away knowing that she had the chance to change everything and did nothing. She couldn't allow the jewel to fall into the hands of evil once more when she had the opportunity now to prevent it. She couldn't…she just couldn't.

"Kagome." Sesshomaru stepped closer to her. His hand reached out, slipping his fingers under her jaw and turning her forcefully to meet his steady gaze. "You must."

"No…" she choked out the word, but even as she said it she still knew that he was right, she just couldn't bring herself to accept it.

"How much more will you sacrifice for the jewel?" he asked her quietly. "How much more of your life will you give in its service? If you are to do this, think of what will be lost. Your time here and in all the times before will have never have happened. You shall always be ignorant of the events that made you. The final piece of my father's legacy will never be found, perhaps even, the swords of his fangs never have been commissioned.

"What carnage would have resulted if So'unga was never controlled? What atrocities would have been committed without the mighty Tetsusaiga to thwart the hands of evil against those too weak to defend themselves? Would you have even made it to this point in your journey if Inuyasha had not the power of Tetsusaiga to protect you? Would you live now if his demonic blood had not been subdued by the blade's power? Would he?

"How many lives would be forfeit because you would not stand to face your destiny? How much more suffering would you inflict on the land by doing what seems to be the right thing in this moment? Think, Kagome. I can not make this choice for you, but I can tell you that by doing this you will be robbing us all of a future that we have fought long and hard for.

"The lives that have been lost to this war have been many, but so many more could have fallen if it were not for the brave soldiers that have stood against this threat. Would you take away their sacrifices? Would you tell them all that they had fought in vain? Would you tell yourself that? Would you deny yourself the victory against your enemy?

"Would you deny me, Kagome? Would you forsake everything that we have been through together? Would you forget me? Would you make me forget you as well?"

"Please….stop." She was begging though he flowing tears, but she needed to hear the truth and he refused to let her go.

"You cry too often, miko. To shed tears is to prove that we have been defeated by emotion. Do not let you emotions control you now. Do not regret what must be done. Do not despair what can not be changed. Do not allow the sacrifices already made to be for naught.

"Your heart breaks to do this, I know, but you must not let such emotions cloud your judgment. You have committed yourself to this journey, just as you have committed yourself to your quest to return the jewel to its rightful place. One mission does not outweigh the other, for they are the same. You seek a weapon, why? To destroy your enemy, the dark one that seeks the false power of the Shikon. But you can not do that if you alter the natural course of time now. Naraku will not be defeated, and you will have stolen hope from everyone trapped within his deadly games.

"Now tell me, Kagome," he ordered as he stepped back from her, "what is your choice?"

"Choice…" she whispered quietly as she brought her hand up in a daze to wipe away the moisture from her eyes. It glistened on her fingertips, the crystal waters a testament of her painful trials, of the choices that she had already made.

"It is not a weakness…." She could see her own suffering in her tears, but it was also her strength, her will to see her mission succeed, her heart that she placed in everything that she did.

"To be human is to make mistakes…" And she had made many, but she had always chosen to give everything she could to see them set right again. She was doing it now, giving everything she had to set right a terrible wrong. It was breaking her heart, but she would stand against the pain because she knew that she must, because she knew that only she could.

"I cry…because…I can…because…I accept my emotions…because…I know that I can not have everything I desire..." And she couldn't have everything. There would always be a sacrifice to be made, a heart that was broken, a life that was taken. She couldn't save everyone. She didn't have the power to save the world from itself. All she could do was continue living, continue fighting.

"I should regret…I should despair…but that can not control me…" And it wouldn't, she wouldn't allow it; but she needed her emotions to know what path to walk, where the future would be the brightest. There would always be something to regret, something to cause despair, something painful that she would wish did not exist; but without suffering there would be no compassion, without pain there would be no joy.

"I will follow my heart…" And in her heart she knew that she could never go back to her old life, but at the same time that her life to this moment was what made her decision possible. She would leave the jewel because it was the right thing to do. She would go back to the time she had left with the knowledge that she could have changed the future but did not. And she could accept this knowledge, could accept the painful truth of it, because she had made the choice, because her heart told her she must.

Still her tears fell, but it was alright. She shed her tears because she felt so much that she could never hope to contain them.

Tears of the heart.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Ahhhh…it's been a while since I made myself cry while writing this story. Hmm…I must have been getting lazy. Well, apparently I got back on track! Lol though I'm not exactly sure if that's a good thing or not. Really, it probably isn't healthy to make yourself cry ;P Ah well, what can you do?

I know, Sess was a bit chatty in this chapter, but it needed to be done. Besides, I was getting tired of his one-liners and this was a perfect moment to allow him to express himself in words.

What else? Hmmmm….Oh! Yeah, I am well aware that Tsubaki kinda bit the bullet a bit quickly, but I was having issues with the last battle. Just be glad it's finished and things can finally start moving along again. Ah, but while I'm talking about the battle, I have to extend my thanks to ChaosWingDragon for being my bouncing board when it came to ideas of how to get it out (and Chaos, I am still waiting for a story from you! If you can come up with so many ideas for me then you can certainly spin a tale of your own ;P).

And lastly, it is time again for another time shift! Horrah! What number are we at now? Six, I think….maybe seven…shrugs…whatever….Time shift next chapter! Yeah!

_Well, till then._

Shadow


	32. Tears of the Rueful

Tears of the Rueful

Tears of the Rueful

It was quiet, too quiet. The silence stretched out seemingly forever in the cavern of stone within the misted mountains. It was a silence stemmed from the knowledge of what was to come, battles both physical and emotional. Their journey was over. The weapon was within reach. It was time for them to part ways, to go back to the lives that they had lived.

But was there really any going back?

"Sesshomaru?" The young miko's voice was soft and wavered slightly with uncertainty. She didn't look at him, preferring to keep her eyes trained on the bright glow of the weapon in front of her. "When I get back..." she trailed off in uncertainty, but it was Sesshomaru that finished for her.

"I will be there."

Kagome smiled wearily in gratitude. She was glad, happy that he would think to be with her still. But there were still so many things that had not been said and that had not been dealt with. There was still so much that would have to be done.

She sighed. She could only do one thing at a time. And first things first, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Kagome gestured vaguely before responding, "For not trusting you." She sighed again and forced her self to turn and face him. "I haven't been honest with you about something…something important. And I need to tell you now, before it will be too late." Sesshomaru waited for her explanation in silence, but Kagome had seen the way his eyes had shifted ever so slightly, ice covering the surface of the softened gold, a hardened barrier to ward him from everything. She swallowed nervously before continuing. "I didn't know when I first came to you, I want you to know that, but…but…"

"Speak."

The sharp command startled Kagome. She blinked rapidly a few times in a daze, but quickly managed to recover herself. She gave her head a slight shake and straightened, squaring her shoulders and tilting her chin in determination. "The weapon is not for you."

Slowly, Sesshomaru responded to her words. His right eyebrow lifted minutely, though not breaking his intense gaze and the corner of his lips twitched lightly before he finally spoke. "I am aware of that," he told her levelly.

All Kagome could do was stare in disbelief. "What?" was the most intelligent response she could muster.

Sesshomaru took a step towards her, his eyes shifting, breaking free of the ice and taking on a soft glow in the light cast by the weapon, and his lips quirking into a small smirk. "Father would not have sent you on this mission if there was nothing for you to gain from it. He was far too enamored with you."

Drawing her brows together in confusion, Kagome asked the only question that would come to mind. "Huh?"

Sesshomaru's smirk grew. "His stories were quite…elaborate at times." Kagome's cheeks instantly flushed scarlet, and Sesshomaru couldn't stop his lips from splitting from a smirk into a full smile. "Though now that I am older," he continued as he took another step towards her, causing her to tilt her head slightly to keep eye contact, "I see why his stories never seemed quite believable."

Wary at his dubious tone, Kagome's eyes narrowed slightly. "And why is that?" she asked with a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice.

Unbothered, Sesshomaru merely lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. "He was no god."

"Are you serious?" Kagome asked incredulously. Sesshomaru shot her an 'I am always serious,' glare, but she just shook her head and continued. "I mean, aside from the fact that you told me that you father was turning the story of my life into some R rated movie and the fact that you just all but agreed with his descriptions of me, you really have no problems with the fact that you've spent all this time looking for a weapon and you're not even going to be able to use it?"

"It was never father's intention that I find a weapon, Kagome. I was meant to find something much more valuable."

The smooth tenors of his voice whispered through the air to brush against her skin, raising it in a light shiver. Kagome breathed deeply, her face flushing in an even deeper blush as she watched Sesshomaru reach out to her. His hand brushed against her cheek tenderly before his fingers stretched out to cradle the side of her face. He stepped closer again, leaning down towards her, his eyes boring into her so deeply that she shivered again at the intensity of it.

"What…" Fighting to take a hold of her wavering voice, Kagome tried again. "What are you saying?"

"When I told you that my father wished for me to heed his lessons by sending you to me, what I was not saying was that he wanted for me to realize that there is more to life than the pursuit of power and that there is more to power than physical strength. He wanted for me to learn that what I saw as a weakness could make me stronger than I had ever imagined, that the emotions that I had locked away from the world could bring me strength, could give me life. You gave me that, Kagome, and I am eternally grateful to you for it. I know that where you are going now that I can not go with you, but I want you to know that when you return, even if you do not return to me, that I will always…"

"Don't," Kagome cut him off with a sharp shake of her head. She pulled back from him, breaking their contact. "I can't…I can't let you say any more…not yet. It isn't right. I still have to face my past. Being with you for so long, it's like living a world that isn't real. I'm separated from everything that was my life, apart from everyone that I love. You want me to tell you how I feel, but I can't. I won't. Not now. I need to…to be sure before I make it so that I can never go back. Please understand. I want to…I want to know that we can be together but…but before that can happen…I need to know that…that he…"

"Inuyasha." The name slipped from his lips like a curse, dripping with venom. "After everything, it is still he that you think of first."

Taken back at first by Sesshomaru hard tone, Kagome soon found herself feeling indignant. "He's my best friend," she hissed through clenched teeth. "I'm not about to forget him or push aside his feelings because you believe them to be irrelevant!"

"It is not his feelings that I care to know."

"Well maybe they should be! He's your brother!"

"He is an ungrateful whelp! Everything that I have fought for in my life, he has had handed to him as a gift! He has never had to know the impossible task of following in the footsteps of such a great demon. He has never had to fight to save anything but for himself and his own selfish gains. He has been given father's greatest weapon, yet he doesn't appreciate the magnitude of such a gift. He has been sheltered from the demons of court because it was father's wish that I be the one to bear their scrutiny and their revolts while he wanders the countryside aimlessly. He has the love of a remarkable woman, and yet he continues using you, degrading you, taking advantage of everything you give to him, and all the while playing you for a fool while he leaves you to go to the walking dead. He has been given everything, and yet he appreciates nothing! He is a fool, and he is undeserving of the gifts he has been given."

"You're not being fair!"

"Fair? Fair?! What is fair, Kagome? Is it fair that my own father would choose to give his life defending a human woman over his own mate and their child? Is it fair that I was given the responsibility of an entire land when I was nothing more than a youth? Is it fair that the only weapon strong enough to give me the control I needed to keep order in the land would be given to a halfling that cared not for our people or our plight because his wretch of a mother would never allow me anywhere near to him? Is it fair that when I finally found the brother that had been stolen from me, when I finally was given the chance to train him and to shape him for the title of prince that was rightfully his, that I find he has taken from me the only thing that had ever given me any joy? Is it fair that I have been forced to watch as the woman that I love gave her heart to someone who would never give her anything but pain in return?"

The world stopped spinning in that moment. Life was pulled to a halt. The land was cast into sleep. Water no longer flowed through the streams and rivers of the valleys below. And high upon the misted mountains, within the shadows of the cavern of stone, a rift was born that parted time.

Kagome would never be given the chance to respond to Sesshomaru's words. Before she could even take in a breath, the light being emitted by the weapon expanded, spreading to fill the entire cavern. But at its centre, where the light was the brightest, the rift shimmered into existence. It reached out with hands of magic, drawn to the one that stood just outside of time, wrapping around Kagome like a soft blanket, cradling her in its warmth and filling her with its power.

From inside the cavern, Sesshomaru watched as her body was taken over by the light. She didn't fight it, knowing that it was for this that she had come. After the initial shock, her body relaxed, resigned and accepting. Her eyes softened, filling with a light moisture as they found his again. She was fading, becoming translucent in the light, but still her eyes shown through, oceans of blue surrounded by radiating beams of power.

"Wait for me." Her words were a whisper dancing across the wake of powers suspended on the air. He didn't hear them with his ears, but rather felt them within his very soul. And then she was gone. The light faded back to shadow, the darkness moved in once more.

Sesshomaru drew his eyes closed, allowing the sight he had just seen to burn into his memory. "Always," he whispered his response into the darkness, then, with a deep breath, he opened eyes and turned to begin his decent from the misted mountains.

TTTTTTTTTT

She felt as though she was in a plummeting elevator, but it was not body being moved, but more the light moving through her. It was blinding, and burning, stealing the air from her lungs in the impossible freefall. But then, as suddenly as it had come, it was gone again. The light faded to nothing but a memory, being taken over by shadows and darkness. Air entered her lungs in a startled draw and her body jerked at the feeling of weight returning.

Curiously, Kagome felt her hands tighten around something. She looked down in shock, only to find that her hands were wrapped around the smooth surface of the weapon. Her lips split in a triumphant grin and she tightened her hold. With a soft tug against the piece holding the weapon in the pedestal, she freed it from its confines.

Carefully, almost like she was handling china, she lifted it closer. Her hands ran along the smooth, white surface reverently. She had never felt anything so smooth, so flawlessly crafted. The arch was perfect, following the line of her body and pinching in again at her shoulders and knees only to flare back at the ends into a sharp point. And for her hands, braided intricately about the central bow, a soft, silver fur had been woven against the polished surface.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up."

The voice from behind her, startled Kagome into action. With hardly a thought, she reached behind her a pulled an arrow from her quiver, spinning around to face the presence at the same time as stringing the arrow into her new bow. She pulled back against the stiffened chord, feeling for the first time the ease at which the weapon responded to her touch, and set her arrow in the draw ready to fire.

"Who's there?" she called out into the darkness.

Her question was greeted with a smooth, rumbling laughter. "Do you not recognize me, my dear?" the voice asked in feigned hurt. "You wound me, child of mine."

"Toga?" Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. "What are you doing hanging around in the dark? I could have shot you!"

He laughed again, his voice carrying through the darkness in an eerie echo against the stone walls. "Not if you could not find me, my dear."

"Would you cut that out?" Kagome asked with a slight edge to her voice. "You're creeping me out." She turned a little to the left as she began picking up on his youki, bringing her bow with her. "I could always fire, and that would light things up in this cavern real quick."

"You haven't changed a bit," Toga laughed. "Alright, alright, I'll find some light."

There was a faint ripping sound, followed by the high, keening, wail of a sword being unsheathed. Then a soft, green, glow broke through the darkness. It illuminated faintly against a white surface and caught the sharp reflection of a blade before the green glow erupted in a bright orange flame.

Kagome blinked a few times as her eyes took in the light, but slowly, the blaze of the flames began to settle into a softer glow, and her eyes began to pick up on the form that was holding the torch. His pale skin reflected the light so completely that it seemed like he was glowing, and his fierce golden eyes burned through the distance between them in sharp glints. But even through the long shadows cast by the dim light in the cave, Kagome relaxed in his presence. Youkai he may be, but Toga was her father.

"It looks good on you," Toga observed as his eyes moved over her form.

Kagome blushed instantly at the sudden attention. She realized after a moment that he was referring to the bow in her hands, but the damage had already been done. Really, she had just found out that he was telling Sesshomaru stories about her in 'elaborate' detail. It was enough to make her squirm just a bit. He was supposed to be all fatherly for goodness sakes! "Thanks," she mumbled weakly.

"You seem tense," Toga observed with a slight tilting of his head. "Do not tell me that my son has been mistreating you."

"No!" Kagome shook her head quickly in difference. "Not at all. He was…" she trailed off, uncertain how to finish.

"Kagome?" Toga could see her distress as much as he could hear it in her voice. He stepped closer to her in concern, but when she lifted her eyes to him again and he saw the light moisture gathering in her troubled eyes, his heart went out to her. He reached forward and gathered the little priestess into his arms, careful of the makeshift torch burning on his sword. He smoothed his hand down her hair, soothing her gently with his touch as her body trembled against his in light sobs. "What troubles you, child?" he asked her quietly as he shifted her to bring her face into view.

"I…I think I made a horrible mistake" she finally lamented. "But I was….afraid." She sniffled quietly and lifted her tear-heavy eyes to find the soft gold of his. "I wasn't ready for the truth." She blinked, the moisture in her eyes finally escaping in glistening paths down her flushed cheeks. "I wasn't ready for him to love me."

A slow, gentle smile began pulling on Toga's lips as he gazed down at the little priestess. He leaned into her, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead before pulling back from her and releasing his hold. "I think," he began as he started to make his way back to the cavern entrance, "That you have been ready for a long time now. But not to worry," He paused to give a slight gesture telling her to follow. Once satisfied, he started walking again, his smile growing playful in the dancing light of the fire. "Time is the plaything of the gods."

Kagome couldn't help but to release a slight chuckle at that. "I hate to be the one to tell you, Toga," she told him with light humor, "but you aren't a god."

"Oh?" He turned slightly to her, enough so that she could see his eyebrow raised in challenge. "What makes you so sure?"

With dramatic flare, Kagome rolled her eyes before offering her retort. "Because you aren't perfect. You make mistakes like everyone else."

"Name one mistake that I have made."

It was quite the challenge being that she couldn't really bring up any of the events of his death and pretty much all of the legends about him were likely flawed, and more than that, Kagome had only spent a short time with the man; however, the answer came to her in a sudden rush of demonic energy when she pulled closer to the barrier blocking the entrance of the cavern. She smirked. "Oh, Toga," she called sweetly. "Where is Sesshomaru?"

Toga drew his brows together in slight confusion as he shifted his eyes to look at the smirking girl. "I left him chasing a mouse at the base of the mountain….Why?"

Kagome snickered. "Oh, no reason," she responded with a slight waving of her hand. "But, you know, you should really keep a better watch on your children. It wouldn't look very good on a god if his son was to get eaten by a massive, three-headed, harpy queen when his father was only a hundred yards away having a nice little chat with an old friend."

Toga blinked, then paled. "Well…shit."

That had Kagome laughing again. Between fits of laughter, she managed to offer her hands in a gesture to shoo the youkai out of the cave and give him a mirthful promise that she would still be there when he returned…but not before pointing out to him that though his head was now slightly deflated, it was still a rival for the fattest head she had ever met…the number one competition for that title being Sesshomaru himself.

Of course, being a proud demon, Toga didn't take very kindly to her taunts, and he bared his fangs to her and informed her in a very dangerous sounding rumble of a voice that he could just eat her and then she would find out how godlike he could be…to which Kagome responded that if he had to eat someone to prove how big and tough he was then he wasn't nearly as big and tough as he thought he was and that she would gladly show him how her arrows worked against youkai should he make such an attempt.

Needless to say, their discussion ended up with one riled dog demon who promptly left to relieve some well-earned aggravation by divesting an entire mountain of all its youkai population, and one hysterical miko who took fifteen minutes to collect herself from her rolling ball of fitful giggles on the cavern floor.

TTTTTTTTTT

By the time Toga had returned from his hunt, Kagome had set up a little camp around the light of her portable stove and was busy eating her sorely missed dinner. "Care for a midnight snack?" she asked as she held up a spare container of Ramen. He declined politely as he moved to sit by her. Kagome just shrugged. "So, I'm guessing that all the harpies are back to Zombie Harpy mode?"

"You are never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope!" Really, how many people had dirt on the 'Great and Terrible Inu no Taisho'? Not any that were still alive, that's for sure. Besides, he had earned it after that whole 'I am a mighty God. Cower or I shall eat you' fiasco. Still, she figured she could give him a little break…for now. So she changed the subject. "Did Sesshomaru make it home ok?"

"Hn." Toga eyed her suspiciously for a moment, but upon seeing that she was asking in earnest, he allowed himself to relax, stretching his legs out and leaning back on one hand casually. "He has. His mother will have the pleasure of his company until I have returned."

A light snort triggered by the thought of how truly 'pleasurable' the company of a prepubescent Sesshomaru would really be, was quickly concealed by another mouthful of noodles. Still, even as she chewed her food, Kagome couldn't quite keep her devilish smile from the ever observant Toga. His lips twitched into a knowing smirk. "You know, one of these days, you are going to understand my pains."

"Yes," Kagome agreed fully. "But when I have a son of my own, I'm going to name him after you so that every time he irritates me I will be saving myself the energy of yelling at you both."

Toga snorted. "My ears are already burning…Wait…" He took a moment to reprocess her words. "Did you just say you plan on naming your son after me?"

"If that's alright with you," Kagome replied with a sheepish grin and a light blush as her hands fidgeted nervously with her chopsticks.

"Kagome," He smiled as he reached over to her and took her hand to steady it. "It would be an honor." He squeezed her hand gently before releasing it and letting her get back to her meal. For a moment, both were quiet, comfortable in the silence. But…Toga's eyes shifted to look at the young miko. "Does Sesshomaru know about this?"

Kagome nearly choked on her noodles. "That…depends…" she replied evasively.

"On what?" Toga wasn't going to let her slide out of this one.

"On…" a light bit of nervous laughter came out of her unbidden. Kagome coughed a little before bringing her noodle cup up again. "On what time you are in," she responded quickly before shoving more food in her mouth to avoid further questions.

"I see." The soft rumble of amusement had Kagome glaring at him, but Toga just laughed at the image of a stuffed-cheeked chipmunk that she resembled. "You're not going to tell him until after the pup is born. Is that about right?"

Gulping down the remaining food in her mouth, Kagome wiped her lips and straightened, trying to save what little dignity should could. "What Sesshomaru knows about my plans for the future, for the moment, is irrelevant. I will not commit to anything until I have had the chance to talk with Inuyasha."

Arching a brow, Toga cast her a curious look. "I hope that wasn't what you told Sesshomaru."

With a heavy groan, Kagome abandoned her food and flopped down on her sleeping bag. "It just isn't fair!" she wailed in frustration. "For so long I thought that it was Inuyasha that I wanted to be with, and when I start to realize that I'm having feelings for someone else, he just expects me to forget the fact that for two years Inuyasha and I have done everything together. He's saved my life more times than I can count, he been there for me when I've gotten sick or wounded or even after I've failed a test. He's my friend, my best friend. I feel bad enough that I went and messed around with his brother behind his back, but I just couldn't go making promises that I wouldn't be able to keep unless I have Inuyasha's approval…or my mother's."

She groaned again, curling herself up into a pathetic ball. "I can see it now, 'Hey mom, remember that guy that came over the other day? Well, he's actually a powerful demon that tried to kill me, but now he just wants to get funky. We're going to have babies! Isn't that wonderful? Didn't you always say you wanted grandchildren? Well, I hope you like dogs!' Yeah that's going to go real well."

"Kagome, you're thinking too much about this."

"And you're not thinking enough!" she snapped back. She pulled herself up hastily, allowing herself to look at him in the eyes again. "Have you even considered the fact that I'm human? Sesshomaru has known me all his life, but only because of my ability to move through time. What happens when that stops? What happens when I go back to a normal timeline? What happens then? I'll tell you what; I'm going to age like a human while he remains an immortal. Even if I make him wait for the 500 years between my time and the normal time I return to in the past, he will still outlive me by millennia!"

"Kagome, calm down."

"I am calm!"

"Clearly."

Angry, frustrated, and all around in a bad mood, Kagome glared at Toga. But, slowly, as she began to realize that her anger was misplaced, and her frustrations stemmed from her own inability to come to terms with the difference between her duties, her responsibilities, and her true desires, her rage began to melt away. With a long, resigned sigh, she finally broke her eyes away. "Why did you do it?" she asked him quietly. "Why did you send me to him? He said it was because you wanted him to learn, but all I ever seem to give him is an aching heart."

"It was not me that started the circle, Kagome. I never chose your path, you chose it for yourself. But what I have given you will ensure that you have the power to choose your own destiny."

"What are you saying?"

But Toga just smiled and shook his head. "Take hold of the bow, Kagome."

Clearly confused, she still reached out and wrapped her hands around her weapon. "So," she ventured softly as her eyebrows drew together in confusion, "What am I supposed to do with it?"

"In my fangs, I infused the power over life and death. In the claw you hold in you hands, I have harnessed the very fabric of time. It is yours now to do with as you see fit. Use it wisely, Kagome, as I know you will."

"Time…" she whispered in awe. "I can control time?"

"In a sense, that is true. But to be more accurate, when you hold that claw, time does not control you."

"Sango…" Her eyes widened in silent understanding as she looked back to Toga. "She never noticed. She had aged, but when she looked at me, she never saw a difference. Like I…like I hadn't aged at all."

"Ah, so it does work then. Marvelous." Toga smirked at the look of disbelief that cross Kagome's face at his admission, but he shrugged it off. "Really, Kagome, you must have more faith in me."

Recovering from her state of shock, Kagome narrowed her eyes. "It would be easier to trust you if you weren't so bloody secretive all the time."

"We all have our secrets," he answered in a tone that spoke of many things left unsaid. "I, however, have simply lived long enough to know when those secrets need to be shared, and when they are not to be."

"Like now?"

Toga cocked an eyebrow at the miko's harsh tone. "I do believe," he told her slowly, "that enough secrets have been revealed on this night. It is late, Kagome. You should rest."

Not put off in the slightest, Kagome shot Toga a 'This is so not over yet' glare before laying herself down in her sleeping bag. It had been a very long day, and in only a few minutes, she was well on her way to the land of dreams.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Kagome." Toga was trying not to laugh. He was trying really, really hard not to laugh. But it wasn't working at all. His chest was shaking with light rumbles of absolute amusement even as his teeth clamped down to prevent the sound from escaping his lips. But even through his effort, the shaking of his chest had the little miko clinging to him even more and making his effort all the more futile. He bit into his lip even harder, pausing his laughter with the sharp sting of pain as his fangs pierced through his flesh. "I will not let you fall."

A muffled grumble against his chest that even with his demonic hearing he couldn't make out was his only response. He shook his head. "You are going to have to speak up," he informed her as he took hold of her arms and began prying her trembling body away from himself. The task was more difficult than it should have been given his immeasurable strength, but she had really latched herself onto him. Once he had the girl pushed back to arm's length, he tried again. "Kagome, you are safe with me."

"I know!" she wailed miserably, her body shaking with unsuppressed anxiety and her eyes clenched tightly closed. "But we are standing on a CLOUD! Am I the only one that seems to have a problem with that?!"

"Am I to understand that your only quandary is that there is nothing of substance under your feet?"

Receiving a shaky nod from the young priestess, Toga shrugged and picked her up, repositioning himself so that he was in a sitting position and setting her comfortably in his lap. "Better?"

Kagome felt herself relax instantly. It wasn't like she hadn't flown before, but there was just a feeling of security when something of substance was holding you aloft as opposed to a swell of energy shifting in restless motions under your feet. Being a miko, she could basically see the shifting surface of the energy cloud even with her eyes sealed closed. It looked like she was walking on water, floating just above the surface of a turbulent spring. But if she opened her eyes, she could see straight through the shimmering light, hundreds of feet below, to the tiny outlines of trees scattered across the vast stretch of land below. Add to that the constant pressure against her as the forces at work pressed unrelentingly against her body and the disorienting feeling of constantly falling, and it was enough to put anyone on edge. But when she felt the strong body beneath her, the feeling of falling was replaced with the security of the power radiating from him and the sense of comfort offered by being wrapped in his strong arms. She sighed and let her body melt into him, awash with relief even though they were still soaring high in the sky on the soft magic of his youkai cloud.

"Much better," she replied as she finally regained the courage to open her eyes. "Thank you."

"Anything for my little priestess."

A smile worked its way onto the young miko's lips. "Toga?"

"Hn?"

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Make everyone fall in love with you."

The smooth rumbles of his laughter shook through his chest. "I told you, Kagome. I am a god."

A dry, mirthless laugh broke from the young miko's lips. "You are no god, Toga." Her voice dropped into a whisper, so soft it could barely be hear above the passing winds. "If you were a god, I would not have to fear the day I would loose you."

Toga tightened his hold around the young woman in his arms. "I will never leave you, Kagome. No matter where you go or what you do, if you ever feel lost or lonely, all you need to do is look into your heart, and you will realize that I have been with you all along."

"What if I want more?" she asked him quietly. "What if I don't want to loose you? I know the future, Toga. I know how your life will end. If I told you…"

"Stop," he cut her off. "Knowing the future does not mean it will come to pass any differently. What knowledge you have given me already is more than enough. I have chosen my path in life, and I will not change the course I walk now nor the ending that is destined for me. But know this, my darling daughter, in all endings there is only a new beginning. You mourn for my death, and yet, in my death I will be able to reach far beyond the limits I maintain while still in the land of the living."

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps, one day, I shall tell you, but I am afraid that this secret must remain my own until the time is right for you to know."

"My life is full of secrets," she lamented sadly. "I don't even know if I would know the truth any more."

"Would you like for me to tell you, Kagome? Do you think you are ready for it?"

She laughed shortly. "Is anyone ever ready for their world to be turned upside down? But what does it matter? I have never been given the opportunity to choose my poisons, they have been given to me whether I want them or not."

"You believe truth to be a poison?"

"Isn't it? Are not lives destroyed because of it? The choices made by some, the truth of what the consequences of their actions cause, it can be a terrible burden. What is the truth of my life? What am I, really? I am a daughter and a friend, but in a world where they know nothing of who I really am. I am a guardian and a keeper of magic, but in a world where no one could ever hope to know the truth of what my life was before I was captured by destiny. I am a sister, a confidant, a protector, and a fighter; but I am still only a girl, frightened, unsure, hurting in both body and soul.

"But the truth is that none of that matters, because I must be what most frightens me, because I must be the light no matter how deep and penetrating the darkness. I must be the one to stop the curse, to stand against the darkness. I must do this, not only because it is my calling, not only because it was me that was chosen for such a terrible task, but because my heart would never let me do anything less. I have the power to stop a bloody war, to bring the fighting to an end, and there is no truth more real than that."

In the distance, but closing in rapidly, Inuyasha's forest came into view. Kagome looked down at the familiar land, feeling once again the wash of pain that settled upon her heart knowing that yet another part of her journey had come to a close. She breathed deeply, willing herself not to cry as the well clearing came into view. She had to leave, there was no disputing that fact, and yet, she wished…

"Kagome." Toga's voice pulled her away from her thoughts. She turned to him, her feet solid on the ground once more after he had set them down by the old well. "There is a truth more real that your responsibilities, and more true than a destiny long foretold for you. You are all of those things you have said, but you are forgetting the most important thing. Your love for others does not begin and end with you. What secrets you have been forced to keep, what battles you have fought and which still lay ahead for you, what trials and pains you must face; none of it can change the brightness that you have brought to so many lives. You have given love and hope to so many that believed they would never have such a thing again, and such a gift does not go forgotten. The truth, Kagome, is that you are never alone."

She sighed deeply and hung her head. "Sometimes it's hard to believe that."

"Perhaps," he responded as he reached out, tilting her chin up to make her face him again, "but that does not make it any less true."

Kagome shook her head sharply, pushing his hand away. "You were wrong, Toga. The truth does not make the pain any better."

With remarkable patience against her revolts, Toga managed to coax the young miko into his embrace. "It is the pain that lets you know you are alive," he told her gently.

Kagome continued to fight against him, finally gaining the leverage to spin in his hold and break free. "And what of the lives that will be lost?" she hissed out angrily. "What solace can be granted them? What good does the truth do if I can not use that knowledge to save them?"

Toga sighed and shook his head. "You can not save everyone, Kagome."

"And what about my friends? Can I not save them? Can I not stop the wraths from taking Miroku from his wife and child? Can I not stop Inuyasha from giving his life to save mine? Can I not save you? Can I not protect anyone that I love? Am I destined to always fail them when it matters the most?"

"They have their own lives to live and their own choices to make. You can not shield them from their destinies, just as you can not hide from yours."

She wanted to say something to that, to be able to deny it, but she knew she could not. He was right, he was always right. She could not protect her friends from everything, she couldn't even protect them from the inevitability of their deaths, no matter how badly she wanted to; because in doing so she would be robbing them of their freedom, of their lives. "Fate is cruel," she whispered dejectedly.

"No," Toga corrected with a small smile. "She is practical. She gives us the tool we need, but leaves the choice of our actions in our hands. Of course, sometimes she need a little bit of help, and I am more than willing to offer a fang here or a claw there to set the balance of things right again."

For a time, Kagome said nothing, sorting through her thoughts. For so long she had been searching for a weapon, but even after finding it and being told that it was hers to use, she had never questioned the gift, never thought about what it might mean to have such a great power given to her so freely. But still, she knew, there was nothing in life that was free.

"You gave Inuyasha the strength to face any enemy, Sesshomaru a beacon of light to cut a path through to his hidden heart, and me a life that I could never have hoped for; but what have you given yourself, Toga? What makes all of this worthwhile to you?"

Toga smiled at the little priestess. He stepped forward and reached out to her, taking her into his arms and holding her to his heart. She allowed the gesture, wanting, needing to feel the peace and security he offered. It never ceased to amaze her how easily he could sooth her worries, how such a simple gesture would fill her with more strength than she had ever known.

When he spoke, his voice carried to her ears in a soft whisper, but the words would forever live in her heart. "Family," he told her gently. "I have been given a family."

"But they don't know," she whispered against him, not ready to leave the security of his embrace. "Sesshomaru feels so much resentment for your death. He blames you for leaving him with the responsibility of the land and denying him the power of Tetsusaiga to rule. Even now, even after he has come to accept his heart and his emotions, he will never forgive you because he will never understand why you did the things you did. And Inuyasha, he was never even given the chance to know you. He wants so badly to be a man for you to be proud of, but he will never know the man that you are, never be given the chance to know how much you love him. It isn't fair."

"Life isn't fair, Kagome."

"Why can't it be? Just this once, why can't we be given the chance to have our family?"

"Some things, we were never meant to know."

"I wish…I wish you could come with me, to see them again, to be able to give them your strength as you have so often for me."

A sudden pulse of magic pulled sharply against Kagome senses. She gasped and pulled back from Toga, her hands reaching to grasp the pulsing light of the Shikon. She pulled it from where it had been resting hastily, her eyes wide in disbelief. In her hand, the jewel's pulsing became insistent, its power growing exponentially to envelop it in a radiant light.

"No," she whispered in shock and horror. "What have I done?" Tearing her eyes away from the blinding light, she looked back to Toga, only find that he too had been enveloped in the jewel's power. "Toga…?" She choked on her words, consumed with a feeling of dread.

She hadn't meant for it to happen. She hadn't meant to make the wish. She didn't know!

"No, please…"

But the wish had been made, and the jewel had answered to her call. There was nothing that could be done to change the course that had been set. There was no going back from the choice that had been made.

"Forgive me…"

All the young miko could do was watch as the light of the Shikon gave over its power. The jewel in her hand pulsed one last time with a power so great it stole her breath away, and the light it emitted settled forever within the vessel she had given it to.

She would never know if this was the path that was to be taken. She would never know if the power of the jewel was meant for another purpose. Time was filled with so much uncertainty that it could never be constant, and destiny was nothing but a word floating upon the breeze.

But was there more?

Had she been meant to find some greater cause, some more noble purpose?

Had she condemned all those she had thought to protect?

Had she changed the future?

Had she made a selfish wish?

She would never know. She was never meant to. All that she could do was accept that there was no going back, that what had been done could not be undone. She had made her wish, and she would have to face the consequences.

But still she felt regret, still she wondered if the choice had been the right one, still she shed tears for what might have been and what now could never be.

Tears of the rueful.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

I have been waiting for so long to do that! I love Toga dreamy sigh and I'm thinking of writing a story just for him…and Kagome, of course. I even have the first chapter…well…started. Lol Though I don't really have a plot yet….but then again, that hasn't really stopped me in the past ;P

Well, I guess things are starting to wrap up in this story. I have….err….well a few chapters left to go, but the next time shift will be the last. Unfortunately, I don't have a solid plan of how things go from here, so I'm thinking of taking a short break to let the plot (whatever it may be) come to me…then again, my kindly reviewers might be able to coax my hand if they could give me a few ideas. We all want a happy ending after all.

Anyways, later

Shadow


	33. Tears of the Warrior Priestess

Tears of the Warrior Priestess

Tears of the Warrior Priestess

"Toga?"

Her voice was small, a whisper upon the air stilled in the wake of great magics. She could see him still, even as he was, surrounded by the binding light of the Shikon. His form was relaxed, accepting, seeming to her as though he knew all along that this magic had been meant for him. And as the light of the magic began to fade away, settling deeper within him, his face could be seen once more, and on his lips, filled with warmth and understanding, a gentle smile was forming to be directed at the young priestess.

"I am still here, Kagome." He told her as his head tilted with his impossible arrogance. "Were you afraid for me? Did you think a silly little jewel would have the power to do me harm?"

Her fear and uncertainties evaporating under the heat of her anger, Kagome narrowed her eyes dangerously at the arrogant dog. "Why you…" she fumed, unable to finish such sentiments. Muffling her scream of frustration, Kagome threw up her hands in exacerbation. "Do you have any idea what just happened here?!"

"It appears you have made you wish," Toga intoned flatly, not betraying a hint of any sort of emotion. That is, of course, until his lips quirked into a lopsided grin and he winked at the little priestess. "Shall we see if it has worked?"

"If I didn't know any better," the young priestess said in a very accusing tone as she stepped towards the Inu Lord, "I would swear that you knew that was going to happen."

"Who, me?" His feigned innocence was far from believable, especially since Kagome had great practice with dealing with such troublemaking men, one perverted monk being at the top of her list. "Now how would I have known such a thing?"

"You're impossible." She scolded him lightly with a slight shaking of her head. "Did you know that?"

"Yes," he replied with a light laugh as he stepped closer to the young priestess and wrapped an arm around her waist. "But you still love me."

Before she would be given a chance to reply, Toga pushed off from the ground, taking himself and the young priestess into the depths of the old well, into the awaiting portal of their destiny.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Kagome," Toga's voice was hushed, nothing more than a whisper in her ear that was drowned out by the depths of the old well and the sounds of battle from above. "I want you to use your bow. Trust in it, trust in yourself, and you will discover the power you have been searching so long for."

Stepping back from the young priestess, Toga allowed her the room she needed to raise her weapon. She seemed hesitant at first, confused that he would want her to fire when she had no target, but with his encouraging nod, she found her resolve. Squaring her shoulders, and taking a firm hold on her new bow, feeling the strength of her adopted father flowing through the smooth surface of the claw in her hands, Kagome set her sights above the well, into the dark miasma spreading through the clearing above.

When she loosed her arrow it was accompanied not only by the surging of spiritual energy that was her own but also by a brilliant flare of energy that stretched out in all directions from the path of her arrow, cutting through space and time like sweeping blades, sharp and deadly. Before her eyes, the arrow she shot came to a halt at the peak of its path, suspended in mid-air, held aloft by the cutting currents of energy surrounding it.

"Jikoku no Kireme." Toga's smile was one of pure pride as he turned to his little priestess. "Come," he beaconed her as her moved his arm to draw her closer to him again, "Let us see the Rift of Time ourselves."

He brought her with him out of the well to land on the ground above. Once there, the young priestess could do no more than stare in shock and awe. The battle that had been raging when she had left this time behind, the bloody war between the two superpowers had been brought to an unnatural halt. Suspended in mid-air, his tentacles poised to launch yet another attack, Naraku stood motionless. His falsely handsome face, contorted into a mask of fury and hate, was stilled, focused only on his opponent; unable to see the two that had joined in the company. And across from him, Tokijin raised before him ready for his assault against the vile hanyou, Sesshomaru too was held by the magic of the Jikoku no Kireme. His form was rigid, caught between motions, trapped in the light that still descended from the arrow suspended above. He couldn't move, couldn't turn to face them, or even so much as acknowledge their presence.

"Go to him." Toga's voice startled Kagome in the eerie stillness that had been cast upon the clearing. She turned to him in confusion, asking silently what he would think her presence would change. But he only smiled at her, that annoyingly knowing smile that had found its place onto her list of 'Things that I would definitely 'sit' him for', and gestured toward Sesshomaru.

Kagome spared a wary glance at Sesshomaru, seeing the way the evil energy being emitted by his demonic blade still hung suspended in the air around him and the darkness of his aura that had encased his form in his own protection and anger, and immediately looked back to Toga. "You're insane!" she hissed at him venomously. "He'll kill me! He doesn't even know I'm here! Once he breaks free of this, he'll strike me down before I even manage to blink, let alone try to explain that I managed to seal his high-and-mighty self with one shot!"

Toga's laughter did not help to ease Kagome's justified concerns, and she turned her anger on him. "And what about you? Why are you standing here if you're being exposed to those weird cutting sparks that are coming from that arrow?"

His laughter stilled immediately, his eyebrows lifting in muted shock. "You think that I would allow a power forged from my own being control me?" He lifted a hand before him, extending his claws to their deadly lengths. With a wicked smirk on his lips, he continued. "Really, Kagome, you must have more faith in me."

She scowled at him, an image which he figured was supposed to be intimidating, but, since, really, he was a magnificently powerful being with powers that exceeded anything the little mortal girl could ever know, even with her heightened abilities and senses, the image was far from being such…Though, and it wasn't like he was about to admit it, but he could have sworn that he felt a cold shiver squeeze its way down his spine. But that just couldn't be right, right? Surely, there was just no way that a mighty youkai such as himself felt as though someone was stepping on his grave simply from a look from a slip of a human. Daughter or not, that just wasn't right.

Toga shook off the strange feeling with a wave of his hand, gesturing once again for the young miko to approach his eldest son. He knew that the time remaining from the girl's shot was short, and he wanted her to have this knowledge. Sesshomaru wouldn't attack her…or at least that's what he figured. Whatever, it wasn't like either of them would let her stay dead if his reasoning was flawed…which it wasn't…he hoped.

When the miko had finally given up on her death glare, stomped her foot angrily and spun around to approach Sesshomaru, Toga was allowed some time to assess the 'Enemy', the supposed 'Dark One' that had been the cause of such unrest and such destruction in the lands. Whet he found was hardly impressive. It wasn't even alive. The wretched coward had sent a golem in its place.

With a slight scoff of disgust, Toga thrust his claws through the midsection of the beast, being only mildly annoyed by the presence of a poorly constructed barrier. Even before he pushed through the barrier's resistance, he recognized the residual energy of one of Kagome's attacks that held the barrier in a weakened state. He smiled and shook his head even as he pressed his claws through the golem to take hold of the wooden puppet and crumble it into dust in his hand. That Kagome, she would always manage to surprise him.

Having disposed of the vermin, Toga allowed himself the time to watch his little miko. His eyes glinted with amusement as he saw her slow and uncertain progress. Silently, he was coaxing her forward, telling her not to fear the wrath of her mate, but outwardly, he contained his mirth. It just wouldn't do for Sesshomaru to recognize his presence before he was willing to have it known. Besides, the boy still needed to learn a few lessons…Starting with what the hell was he thinking allowing himself to be left without an arm for so long! So, allowing himself to drift into the background and be concealed by the lengthening shadows of the late afternoon, Toga watched the scene before him unfold.

She was approaching Sesshomaru slowly, taking her time to wind her way around the demonic sword in his grasp and the frightening currents of energy that were being suspending around him and the blade. Her progress was slow, and slowed even further once she had discovered that while it appeared that Sesshomaru had been sealed completely, that there was still slight movements being generated by him and the suspended currents of energy around him. Apparently, as she had all but known, Sesshomaru didn't take very kindly to being sealed, and even without the knowledge of what had happened, he was fighting against the effects. Thankfully for the young miko, he wasn't quite as strong as his father as of yet, and with the combining of her own spiritual energies to the spell, he was still being held firm.

That, however, wasn't to last very long. The streaking currents of energy from above began to weaken, and the suspended arrow to falter. Sensing the change in the air around her, and knowing deep down that the magics she had generated were failing; Kagome did the first thing she could think of that would spare her from being an unwilling and unintentional target of Sesshomaru's blind attack. She flung herself at him just as the last vestiges of her magic faded, wrapping her arms around him and clinging to him tightly.

She felt him stiffen when the traces of the magic became weak enough for him to overtake them, and, fearing what his reaction would be if he didn't realize that it was her, Kagome allowed her aura to rise up around them, covering them both in a soothing blanket of warmth.

"Kagome?"

She couldn't help but giggle at the confusion mirrored in his voice. Really, when was Sesshomaru ever confused? And even if he was, when did he ever let it be shown, let alone vocalized? Pulling back from her tight embrace of him, Kagome greeted him with a radiant smile. "Thanks for not lopping off my head," she chirped happily, only to giggle again when he lifted an eyebrow in confusion and snuggling her way back against his chest.

Sesshomaru was…well…totally confused, to put it lightly. He hadn't the faintest idea how Kagome had managed to appear before him as she had. More than that, her presence was the only one he could detect. He had been in battle…at least…that was the last thing he remembered. No, he was forced to amend his thoughts. There was more than that, he knew. There had been…something…something that he had been fighting. But…it was strange. It had been so familiar, so…comforting, almost, that he had felt no real desire to fight against it. It was almost as though he had known that whatever was causing the disturbance had meant him no harm.

It was ridiculous, wasn't it? What could have happened to draw him away from the battle without his knowledge and to bring his miko back to him in such a way?

"Kagome," bringing himself out of his confused thoughts, Sesshomaru called her name gently to bring her attention to him. "What happened?"

"I came back to you, silly," she chided lightly as she brought her arms up around his neck. "Just like I said I would."

Becoming lost in the endless blue of her eyes, and being filled with such warmth he couldn't' even begin to describe, Sesshomaru forgot about the hows and the whys, and gave himself over to the emotions that only his little miko could invoke in him. He abandoned his blade, allowing it to drop to the ground forgotten as he brought his arm up to wrap her securely in his embrace. He leaned into her, claiming her lips in a long, hungry, passionate kiss.

So lost in each other and the happy bliss that was granted them by being brought together at last with no threat of time stealing the other away, neither Sesshomaru nor Kagome took notice of the presence watching their reunion.

Toga waited patiently…well…that was, at least, for the first few minutes. But, after coming to the realization that he was about to see more of a show than any father should be granted of his children, he sighed, leaned down and picked up a stone from the ground at his feet, took a moment to perfect his aim (since it just wouldn't do for him to his precious little girl) and tossed the rock straight at Sesshomaru.

True to its mark, the rock struck Sesshomaru hard upside the head. He jerked back from Kagome instantly, using his hold on her to push her behind him as he turned to face whoever it was that had interrupted him. A deep, angry growl began building in his chest. Whoever had been fool enough to interrupt his time with his mate was going to pay, and pay dearly.

He breathed in deeply, looking past the alluring scent of his little miko to find the presence that had hidden itself. What he found was nothing that he had expected. Almost confronted with the possibility that his senses were mistaken in the scent that they had detected, Sesshomaru's unlikely suspicions were confirmed when the presence he sought stepped out of his concealment.

With a smug smirk adorning his features, Toga walked forward to meet with his son. "So, Sesshomaru," he said by way of greeting. "Looks like you were wrong. I did find a way to cheat death, and I owe it all to my little priestess." His eyes glinted with mischief as they shifted to the young miko. "Is that not right, Kagome?"

His growls growing in volume, Sesshomaru took a tense step forward. "This is not your time, old man," he informed him frigidly as he positioned himself near to his sword. "This Sesshomaru is Lord here. And no one dares to place claim over my Kagome."

"Oh no you did not!" Too focused on the presence of the other, Sesshomaru didn't take notice of the outrage in the little miko's voice. His mistake. Lifting her bow, Kagome used it as a convenient club and bashed it upside the head of the arrogant Inu. "This Kagome," she fumed at him as she brought herself in line of his vision, "is the property of no one! You got that, you over-stuffed dog?!"

"Kagome…"

His growling warning was cut off abruptly when the miko brought her weapon down again in a crushing blow. This time, however, Sesshomaru caught it before her strike could be completed. Against his hand, the smooth surface of the weapon reacted violently, surging up with both demonic and spiritual energies to push his hand away.

Smirking in triumph, the miko continued yelling at him. "I may have fallen for you, you big dolt, but I'm not about to let you go around assuming that I'm some piece of meat, or some trophy for you to put up on your mantle! You will be respectful of me, and I don't give a flying shishkabob if that means you have to swallow a gallon worth of your pride or beat down an eon's worth of instincts to do it!"

Interrupted from her tirade by the fierce snarl that snapped from the Inu, Kagome was startled but not deterred. "And don't you even think about growling at me! You still owe me one for impaling me with your sword!"

Huffing angrily, Kagome reached behind her to draw Tenseiga from the straps of her pack. She threw it to the ground at Sesshomaru's feet and spun away from him, crossing her arms across her chest stiffly in aggravation. Really, what was that dog thinking?! Shouldn't he know better by now than to try and claim her as his own piece of ass?! And just what was that all about anyways? He had just been reunited with his father! Shouldn't he be showing at least a morsel of awe or respect or gratitude or something?!

Grumbling something incoherent and entirely disgruntled about demon dogs, their over-inflated egos, and their complete lack of any remote sensibility when it came to females, Kagome was completely oblivious to the fact that Toga had begun moving towards her…well…at least she was oblivious until she was hauled unceremoniously back by Sesshomaru and all but plastered to his chest as he growled angrily at his father.

Struggling futilely against his iron hold, Kagome screamed at him. "What is your problem?! Let me go, you big lug!"

Taking the hint, though inwardly highly amused at his pup's protectiveness of his little bitch, Toga halted his movements. "Kagome," he called gently to the struggling priestess, "Sesshomaru is uncomfortable with my presence near to you. He is protecting his mate from another Alpha male. Do not think ill of him for it. Besides," his sight traveled back to his growling pup, his enjoyment of this experience reflecting clearly in his dancing golden eyes, "It seems that Sesshomaru has already punished himself adequately for his actions against you."

"Huh?" Stopping her useless struggles, Kagome brought her attention to Toga. "What do you mean he has 'punished himself'?"

Smirking at his growling boy, knowing full well that Sesshomaru wanted none of his actions to be voiced aloud, but not caring in the slightest, Toga replied to the young miko. "Why don't you ask him why he does not have his arm?"

"His arm?" Her face scrunching up slightly in confusion, Kagome tried to make sense of what Toga was telling her, but she didn't succeed at all. "But Inuyasha cut off his arm, and then it was thrown into the hell-portal when we defeated So'unga. Wait…" she twisted slightly in Sesshomaru's hold so that she could look up to his face. "How come you never retrieved it? If it was still there, still holding power enough for So'unga to use it against us, why did you never go back and get it? Why would you have let yourself go for so long without it, or not try to get it back before it was taken from this plane? I mean, it's an arm! That's not something someone can just forget about. And if you didn't want it because it was Inuyasha that cut it off because of some stupid male egotism or something, why didn't you just grow it back? You know, like bigger and better or something. You can do that can't you?"

"Penance." It was Toga that answered her questions. It earned him a most frigid glare from Sesshomaru, but, being that he had been the one to perfect such a glare, it basically had no effect on him and he just smiled at his son. "Sesshomaru was punishing himself. He realized what his actions had cost him, what they had cost you. He refused to reclaim his arm until he had your forgiveness for his actions against you."

"You were punishing yourself?" Kagome asked in quiet awe. "For me?" When Sesshomaru finally abandoned his frigid glare at his father to look down at the miko's questioning eyes, he found he could not lie to her. He nodded shortly in the affirmative, admitting to his guilt.

"You idiot!" The miko's vocal outburst was accompanied with a strong surging of her aura which effectively pushed Sesshomaru back from her. She raised an accusing finger at him. "Why on earth would you think that I would ever, EVER want you to do something like that?!"

"You are pushing your boundaries, woman. It is not the place of a bitch to question the actions of this Sesshomaru."

Cringing at the boy's stupidity, Toga decided that he needed to step in and put an end to his entertaining show lest the pup end up loosing something he would miss far more than a simple arm. Using his speed to its fullest, not wanting to underestimate how much Sesshomaru had grown in his absence, Toga snatched the young miko from her position and drew her back from Sesshomaru. Her powers were flaring wildly in her fury, and he could tell that he was about a second away from having an unscheduled bath…in his own blood. So, Toga did what any Inu father would do to reprimand his children. He bit her.

Startled from her anger by the sharp pain clamping down on her shoulder, Kagome screamed out in pain.

"Oh, come now, Kagome," Toga chided her gently as he set her down on her feet. "It could not possibly have hurt that much."

"You bit me!" the young miko screamed as she spun around to face her assailant. "I can't believe you just bit me!"

Toga lifted his lips in a feral grin that reveled his long, deadly fangs. "It was a love bite, my darling," he informed her with a wink. "I did not want you purifying your mate-to-be in a moment of anger. Speaking of which…" Toga's sight moved from the young woman in front of him to train on the advancing form of Sesshomaru. He nearly sighed at the sight of the boy. Really, did he not teach him anything when it came to controlling his youkai blood? Then again…he let his sight move back to the little miko that was just now realizing Sesshomaru's approach…yeah, she was worth it.

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome timid voice was met by a brief flash of his crimson eyes to her person. She gulped nervously, but pushed away her reservations and took a step forward. "It's ok," she soothed gently. "Toga won't try to take me away from you." She offered him a small smile, despite her discomfort of what she was going to say. "I'm all yours." She stepped forward again, bringing herself close enough to reach out to him. She gasped slightly in startled shock when he took hold of her outstretched arms and pulled her forcefully against himself, but she relented to him, accepting his need to feel her presence now.

The growl that formed in his chest was unstoppable. It was dominating, possessive, greedy; demanding that she give her submission to him. Regardless of the fact that she was human, his instincts demanded that she show her favor to him in the presence of another male, another alpha, even if it was his own father. But his instincts were soothed when he felt his little miko relax against him. He leaned into her, burying his nose in her neck and breathing deeply of her sweet scent, finding deep satisfaction and contentment when met with his own scent shifting through the bright fires of hers. Slowly, the red began to bleed from his eyes.

With a slight shaking of his head, Toga converted his language to one Kagome would not understand. "You really need to get ahold of yourself, boy," he informed Sesshomaru in the light rumbles and snips of demon tongue. "Possessiveness will drive her away."

"This Sesshomaru tires of your games, old man," Sesshomaru replied to his father in kind, though never letting his hold on the little priestess slack. "She has been taken from me countless times over the centuries. If ever I had to loose her again, the heart your plans worked so hard to find would die a death more violent than any forced to witness my wrath."

"Just remember who she is," Toga warned as he turned away from his son. "She will not take kindly to your aggression should you lash out against those she cares about."

Hearing his father's warnings, Sesshomaru tightened his hold on his little priestess, feeling a feeling that he never thought he would have ever known: fear. He knew that now that she had returned she would confront her hanyou, but what he did not know was how strong she would be in her convictions against the boy that she had loved for so long.

"Sesshomaru," Kagome's small voice reached his ears, and he pulled back from her, allowing her the room to speak. She smiled at him warmly, her hand coming up to caress the side of his face lightly. "Don't let him get to you. He really does want the best for all of us. That, I think, is why he has come, why I was compelled to bring him with me. You might not see it, but his very presence is a source of strength, for me, for you, for all of us. He is…my father. I never would have found the strength for this journey had it not been for him. And, I think, he is the only one that will be able to make Inuyasha understand."

"You have considered the hanyou's reaction?"

Sighing, Kagome replied. "You really must have more faith in me, Sesshomaru." She cringed when she reminded herself of Toga because of those words, but brushed it off with a slight waving of her hand. "Besides, Inuyasha was never mine. I've always known that, but I was never able to accept it until you gave a reason to believe that there was something more for me, that there was someone who would give me more than I ever dreamed of. But…" she trailed off, not wanting to provoke him again, but it was he that finished for her.

"But you wish for Inuyasha's approval."

Nodding weakly, Kagome broke her eyes away from Sesshomaru's. "I know how much you…"

She was silenced when he placed a finger to her lips. "If it means you will be happy, then I will allow you any graces you require. However," he paused to tilt her chin up so that she was looking at him again, "you will restrain the hanyou from any of his gross lapses in judgment. Should he do anything brash, I will not hesitate to remove such a threat from your vicinity."

Not needing to ask what his method of 'removal' might be, Kagome was quick to agree. She would keep Inuyasha in line as best she could, and, she figured, if she managed to loose hold over the hanyou, Toga wouldn't allow too much bloodshed between his boys. Of course, there was no reason to tell Sesshomaru this. So, she smiled up at him in gratitude before pulling herself up to him to seal their bargain with a kiss.

"Would you two lovebirds cut it out? Kami, I turn my back for one minute and the two of you are looking for the other's molars."

Parting from their kiss, Sesshomaru growled lightly in aggravation at once again being parted from his love, and Kagome giggled lightly as she tried to beat down the pretty blush that was rising on her cheeks. They turned their attention to Toga, only to find that he was holding a little bundle of kitten by the scruff of its neck.

"Look what I found," he barked out with undying amusement at the antics of his pups. "I thought this little critter would have died long ago."

"Kirara!" Kagome pulled away from Sesshomaru, reaching out to collect her little friend from the clutches of the Inu. She cuddled the little cat tightly to her chest, giggling happily as the feline started purring and rubbed herself closer to her.

"Ah, to live the life of a cat," Toga mused wistfully as he watched the little feline snuggle its way between the miko's breasts.

"Watch your tongue, you old dog," Sesshomaru snapped, loosing his patience with his father's antics much more quickly than he could ever remember. But this time the lecherous old dog was eyeing HIS miko, and, promise or no, Sesshomaru would not stand for it. Besides, he always did have an itch to see if he could really best his father, and if the old dog kept pushing his luck, they would soon find out with certainty.

Kagome, pulled from her coddling of her feline friend by Sesshomaru's chilly tone, looked up at the two Inus in confusion. She rolled her eyes at the smirk on Toga's lips and the scowl threatening to form on Sesshomaru's, and decided to put an end to their pointless banter. Really, she had to give dibs to Sesshomaru's mother for putting up with the two of them for as long as she had. She could barely stand the two of them for a few minutes, the poor woman must have put up with them for centuries!

Clearing her throat, Kagome brought their attention to her. "Well, now that I've got Kirara, I guess its time to go back to my friends." She set Kirara gently down on the ground, stepping back from the little feline to allow her the room she needed to transform into her full size that was suitable for travel. But, even after the cat had gone through her fiery transformation and taken to her true form, Kagome wasn't ready to leave just yet.

"Toga?" she called sweetly. "Would you mind explaining to me how you know Kirara here?"

Caught, and not being able to lie his way out of it, since he just knew Sesshomaru was itching for a way to get back at him for his little revelation form earlier, Toga searched for the right words.

"It will serve you no purpose to lie to me." Kagome smirked at the Inu, using both his words and his arrogant tone from their first meeting to tell him she already knew what his answer was going to be.

Toga sighed. "Well," he responded hesitantly as he brought his hand up to rub the back of his head nervously, "You see, I needed a miko to string your bow, and the one I found just so happened to be almost as stubborn as you are. She demanded that I give her a gesture of good faith that my words were true regarding my affection for mortals, so…" gesturing absently, Toga rather hoped the girl would catch on without him actually having to say it.

"You are hopeless," Kagome scolded him. "You just better keep that to yourself. If Miroku ever finds out what you did with Midoriko he might just try to become your new apprentice."

"Really?" Toga perked up at the mention of someone who would appreciate his love of all things female.

"Don't push your luck with me, you dirty old man," the miko informed him stubbornly. "I wouldn't be too hard-pressed to make a subjugation necklace for you too."

With that, the young miko took to her mount on the firecat, urging her to the skies and back towards the camp she had last seen her feudal era friends.

"Subjugation necklace?" Toga questioned as watched the miko take to the skies.

"You will find out soon enough," Sesshomaru informed him with a slight smirk as he collected his energy to himself and left the ground to follow after his miko.

TTTTTTTTTT

_Twitch…Twitch…Twitch…_

Growling in frustration, Inuyasha finally gave up trying to ignore whatever it was that was driving his senses insane. He had been feeling it for a while now, but with every minute it was growing stronger and he knew that it was headed in their direction. The problem was; he didn't know if he really wanted to find out what this particular presence was. It was…weird. That was the best explanation he could give. It wasn't hostile, per say, but it was tremendously powerful.

His nose twitching and his hanyou ears swiveling to pick up on the sounds around him, Inuyasha leapt down from his chosen tree and lifted his head to the skies. Whatever it was, it was closing in from the air.

"Inuyasha?"

The hanyou ignored the slayer's tense voice, concentrating everything he had on what was coming. After a few moments, he was able to distinguish that there was more than one presence in the powers approaching. His nose twitched again as he picked up on something familiar. Suddenly, a vicious, resonating growl ripped out of his chest. Immediately his hand went to his side and he drew Tetsusaiga, transforming it to the great fang as he set himself in a battle stance.

"Inuyasha, what is it?"

"Kagome," he growled out fiercely. "That bastard Sesshomaru has Kagome."

Snapping immediately to attention at the mention of their friend, and readying themselves for what was coming, both the slayer and the monk took up battle positions and lifted their sights to the sky.

Unlike Inuyasha though, while Sango was wary of Sesshomaru, she did not believe that he would associate himself with the young miko unless he had a VERY good reason for it. And she believed firmly that it was highly unlikely for the Inu Lord to corrupt his highly valued honor by resorting to kidnapping. Still, she stood ready for what was to come. Anything that Sesshomaru was involved in was likely to not bode well for their little group, especially Inuyasha.

Miroku, on the other hand, while he was justifiably humbled in the presence of Sesshomaru, knew better than to think he would ever allow any harm to come to their miko friend. While it was true that Sesshomaru had been very vocal in his dislike of humans and had even lashed out at the little priestess, Miroku was not one that would miss the looks that the Inu had given their young friend as of late. Oh, he knew there was something there. Sesshomaru may be too proud to admit it, but, from one that had admired the luscious and curvaceous form of the supple Kagome to another, Miroku knew that it was lust that shone in the ice-covered eyes of the Inu when they shifted to the miko. So, trying to cover his knowing smirk as much as possible, Miroku stood with his companions in wait.

His growls growing in volume, Inuyasha took a step forward, placing himself protectively in front of the remaining members of his pack when the final presence started to pull away from the others. It was too strong, much too strong for their mortal bodies to ever hope to stand against.

"Stay back," he barked out forcibly. "I don't like this."

Miroku couldn't help but agree with that sentiment. He was starting to pick up on the aura of the newcomer, and he was thrown by it. He had never known a being with such power. But, as it must have been a blessing by Buddha himself, the aura of this youkai seemed to be neutral, not aggressive or hostile, simply inexplicably powerful. Of course, there was also the fact that he was beginning to pick up on Kagome's own unique aura of purity, and it was not in a state of fight, fear, or peril. So, shrugging his shoulders slightly, he gave an assuring nod to Sango and took a step back from the enraged hanyou, all the while sending prayers up to whatever god would listen that the hanyou would manage to keep his foul mouth and his boorish behavior from angering this powerful new presence.

"INUYASHA!!"

Kagome's happy voice floated down from above, and the group was finally able to see her, along with the firecat she rode. Though…the young miko didn't see fit to continue traveling on the cat, and hastily ditched her traveling arrangements in favor of throwing herself down, fully expecting Inuyasha to catch her. Which he did.

Jumping up without further thought, Inuyasha secured the little miko in his hold and brought her gently to the ground. Awash with relief to find her safe, but not willing for a moment to let it show, Inuyasha scolded the girl harshly for her bold move. "You stupid girl! What were you thinking jumping down like that?! What if I hadn't been there to catch you?! I can't always be there to save your stupid mortal self from your own stupidity!"

A snarling growl ripped through the clearing where the group of friends stood. In a blinding flash, the hanyou was ripped away from the young miko and carried a full ten yards before being slammed mercilessly into a tree on the other side of the camp.

"Wretched half-breed!" Sesshomaru snarled down at the struggling form of his younger brother. "You will address my chosen with respect!"

"Sesshomaru." The strong, commanding voice turned attention to the newcomer. Sango and Miroku looked on in awe at the sight of the mighty Inu, but their jaws fell slack as they watched him gently steady the young miko on her feet after having been ripped from the hands of her hanyou friend, and they nearly lost all composure when he proceeded to issue an order to Sesshomaru. "That is enough."

Then, to everyone's amazement, but for Kagome's and the Inuyoukai that had issued the order, Sesshomaru released the struggling hanyou.

"Bastard," Inuyasha growled as he pulled himself to his feet to face his brother. He lifted his sword, fully intending to use it, but Kagome's voice made him pause.

"STOP!" she screamed as she darted towards the pair. She slowed when she reached Sesshomaru's side, placing a soft hand on his arm in assurance before she stepped in front of him to face Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, please. This isn't the time to be fighting."

"What are you talking about?!" the hanyou snapped angrily, earning himself a rather vocal growl from the usually stoic Lord. The hanyou eyes narrowed as he took in Sesshomaru's position behind his friend and the way her hand was set so comfortably on the bastard's arm. "What the fuck!" he yelled in outrage. "Get away from him, Kagome!"

Sighing, Kagome turned around to face Sesshomaru. "Please," she begged him to listen to her just this once. "This would be so much easier if you weren't here to aggravate him."

Eyes narrowing in resentment at the idea that it was he that was causing the scene and not the foul-mouthed, hot-headed, stubborn, reckless, fool of wasted flesh that was Inuyasha, Sesshomaru glared angrily at the miko.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha, being absolutely baffled by the way Kagome was talking to his bastard of a brother, and not to mention the fact that it almost seemed as though the walking iceburg was contemplating listening to her, was about to make yet another demand that the stupid girl listen to basic reason and remove herself from the dangerous position she had put herself in under the claws of the ruthless assassin and give him room to blast the fucker away with his sword.

That is, of course, until he was grabbed by the scruff of the neck and yanked into the terribly compromising position of another male's embrace. "Inuyasha, my boy," Toga barked out happily. "How good it is to finally meet you!" Ignoring the struggling of the hanyou, Toga continued completely unperturbed. "That Kagome sure is a treasure, do you not agree?" Again, not waiting for a response, Toga took a firmer hold of his son and brought him up to his nose for inspection. "Whew!" he exclaimed as he pushed the boy to arm's length. "You need a bath, boy! Did your mother not teach you anything?" Mocking a sigh, he released the now stunned silent Inuyasha and patted his head. "Not to worry though, I'll fix that scent of yours right up. I wouldn't want you walking around forever without a mark claiming you as a member of my house."

"What the fuck?" Apparently dumber than anyone assumed, Inuyasha didn't pick up on the fact that this youkai not only looked almost identical to both himself and his brother, but that he smelled like them as well, which, for anyone with half a whit, would have realized meant that they all shared the same blood. "Who the hell are you?!"

"Inuyasha," Kagome's timid voice from his side drew the hanyou's attention. She smiled at him, but her nervousness was given away by the slight twitching of her hands. Weaving the offending appendages together to try and calm herself, Kagome continued with her introductions. "Inuyasha, Toga is…your father."

Cringing and forcing herself not to cover her ears at the revelation in expectation of Inuyasha's outburst, Kagome was shocked when no loud protests or denials were forthcoming from her usually so brazen and uncouth friend. However, his reaction was far worse than any loud words or foul curses.

"Get your hands off of me," he bit out coldly as his eyes locked onto Toga's. "I have no father."

Hurt, but not nearly as surprised as Kagome was to hear the boy say such things, Toga allowed his hold to fall away, taking a step back from his youngest son.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried in outrage as she wheeled on him. "How could you?! He crossed time itself to come see you and you would deny him like this?!"

"Shut up, wench!" Inuyasha barked out. "You don't understand anything!"

"He's your father!" she screamed at him as she stepped closer, jabbing a finger into his chest.

"Fuck that!" The hanyou cursed as her grabbed her hand roughly, pulling her closer to him until they were nose-to-nose. "I've been the bastard son of a human bitch all my life. A hanyou with no family, no heritage, no nothin' but for the disgrace that fucker gave to me and my mother! Nothing's gonna change now just because he suddenly shows up unannounced, and unwanted!"

"You're acting like a baby!" the young miko screeched as she ripped her hand free and stood on her tip-toes to leer over the hanyou. "That's not how it was and you know it!"

"I told you to shut up! I don't wanna hear this crap! Not from him, and not from you!"

"Inuyasha…"

"Don't you even think about it, bitch! You have no right!"

"No right?! What? And you think you have a right to talk to me like that? I'll have you know…"

Sighing, and proceeding to drown out the argument taking place between Inuyasha and Kagome, knowing the end result anyways, Miroku, always the peace keeper, decided to step up and make an attempt at helping Toga restrain the now furious Sesshomaru.

Stepping forward to the two Inu Lords, the monk calmly cleared his throat. "My Lords," he addressed with a low, respectful bow. "It is always best, for those of sensitive hearing, to maintain their distance from Lady Kagome when she is arguing with Inuyasha."

"Oh?" Toga questioned as he spun Sesshomaru around and put a restraining arm around his shoulders, digging his claws firmly into the boy's neck to still his movements as his eyes were turned away from the sight of the bickering pair. "And why is that?"

Forced to clear his throat once again after having come far too close for his mortality to allow without repercussions to Sesshomaru in such a feral state as his eyes were flickering between the piercing gold the monk was so accustomed seeing on the stoic youkai to fierce pools of burning crimson, Miroku continued. "Lady Kagome is quite…excitable when it comes to matters involving Inuyasha. As you have seen, he is rather inconsiderate of others when he speaks, and Lady Kagome simply instructs him as to the proper manner in which to speak to a lady."

"SIT!!"

The shrill, piercing scream released by the young miko had everyone in the company cringing, but the smashing impact against the ground was curious enough to make Toga turn and see the fallout. Lifting an eyebrow at the now subjugated hanyou laying prone in the dirt, he turned back to the monk. "I see," he drawled out slowly, his lips quirking ever so slightly. "It seems that my darling daughter has done more than teach my boys to play fetch and roll over."

"Roll over?" The monk's question was met with a ripping snarl from Sesshomaru, and he quickly recanted on his wish to know. "Many apologies," he stated with another low bow, "but I must go see to the needs of my own female." With that, the monk made his hasty departure. Though, he couldn't quite help the tug on his lips when his mind threatened to bring to the forefront the image of Sesshomaru actually rolling over for their dear Kagome.

Seeing the straining smile on the lips of the monk as he approached her, Sango couldn't help but to ask, "Miroku, is everything alright?"

"Yes, Sango, my lovely," the monk soothed as he wrapped a steadying arm around the shoulders of the slayer. "I believe that everything is being held in our Kagome's more than capable hands." Smiling appreciatively as Sango sighed out her relief, Miroku, ever the opportunist, allowed her distraction to cater to him as his cursed hand came up to rub along the blessed curve of her finely toned backside.

A resounding 'thud' echoed through the clearing, accompanied by a piercing scream of 'HENTAI!' had the little fox kit that was watching the scene from his concealment in a nearby shrub sighing. But it was the look of intrigue sent towards the monk's crumpled form by the new Inu presence that was about all little Shippo could take.

"This," he concluded to himself, "is going to be a very long night."

TTTTTTTTTT

Having found himself a comfortable position in Kagome's lap, Shippo waited with the others for her to begin her tale.

It had taken some time for the ruckus of Kagome's arrival with the two Inus to calm down to a bearable level, and, after Inuyasha had been 'sat' into grudging submission by means of one pissed off miko, things had finally settled down enough for her to begin.

Inuyasha was fidgeting anxiously at the miko's side. Refusing to sit, but not willing to give any more space than necessary, the hanyou had crouched down next to her. That action alone had nearly earned him another confrontation with Sesshomaru, but, after one strongly disproving look from the young miko and a growl that was inaudible to any human ears present ushered by Toga, he had managed to restrain himself, choosing a position across from the young miko and well back from the light of the fire where he could easily keep watch.

Toga had seated himself lazily on the other side of the little priestess, choosing to pass the time in conversation with the monk that had caught his intrigue. Of course, his actions earned them both a scolding from Kagome, being that she assumed immediately that two lechers of such incorrigible ways engaging in any sort of conversation would lead to nothing good. But, Toga, being that he really never listened to anyone anyways and was well practiced in getting what he wanted, simply informed her that he was interested in the monk's opinion of the growing role of religious practices in the human population, which had effectively bored the young miko away from their conversation in less than ten seconds, leaving him free to discuss basically anything he wanted with the human male.

Sango, a trained demon slayer from birth, was having nearly as much trouble as Inuyasha in adapting to their new company. Of course, her experience dealing with Miroku had not helped matters at all when Toga had flashed her a gorgeous smile that was likely meant to make young girls weak in the knees…not to say that it wouldn't have…had she been standing. Thankfully though, she had been seated quite comfortably against Kirara, and, not to mention, the firecat had taken a particular offense to the Inu's subhuman tone.

So, all in all, tension was still very high in the group. But, finally, after having waited so long that Shippo was nearly nodding off without the benefit of one of Kagome's glorious tales, the young miko began her story.

TTTTTTTTTT

There was once a handsome Young Prince. He was strong and brave, a warrior with no equal. He feared nothing, but also cherished nothing. He walked a path of supreme conquest, driven by his pursuit for ultimate power.

But the gods looked down upon the Young Prince and saw in him great promise. His strength and his valor pleased the gods and they smiled down upon him, sending him a gift of love. On that day, on the day that the sun and the moon rose together, the Warrior Priestess appeared before the Young Prince and asked of him a question.

'Do you know me?' she asked.

And he did, for the Young Prince had heard the tales in his youth of a woman who was strong and brave, compassionate and kind; and beautiful beyond compare. And the Prince knew from the moment she asked a question meant only for him, that she had come from the gods to bring him great tidings.

They journeyed together on a quest of great peril. Fighting against monsters too frightening to even speak about and too dark to even mention their names, the Warrior Priestess and the Young Prince stood side by side. All who stood against the pair were brought down in the face of their enormous power, and they achieved a great victory over the dark ones who wished them harm.

They continued on their journey, always searching for that which had brought them together. You see, they were searching for weapon, a weapon of such great and wonderful power that it had been kept as a sacred secret, never known to anyone but for the great being that had crafted it. But when they reached their destination, when at last they believed that their journey had come to its glorious end, the object they were seeking was not there.

It had been lost to time.

Knowing that she must complete the mission asked of her to discover the resting place of the magnificent weapon, the Warrior Priestess was forced to say goodbye to the Young Prince. But before she left, she promised him that one day he would once again see the sun and the moon rising together as one; and that on that day she would return to him.

As she began drifting away, back to whence she had came, she heard the voice of the Young Prince one last time and her heart filled with joy.

'Return to me, my priestess.'

You see, all of their struggles and all of the trials set against them, had brought the two very different beings together, and the Young Prince had come to care deeply for the Warrior Priestess as she had for him.

But even as her heart filled with joy at the words of the Young Prince, the Priestess shed tears for the knowledge that the next time they would meet there would be nothing but hatred burning in his eyes for her. And at that time, she couldn't understand why.

Time, however, is a fickle thing, and it is always changing. And along with the changes of time, there also comes changes for those ensnared in its grasp. It was because of time, because of events that none but the fates could control, that the Young Prince would be granted a terrible vision of the Warrior Priestess which would make him believe that she had betrayed him. It filled him with such anger and resentment that his heart became hardened once more, so much so that when next he saw the Warrior Priestess he would lash out at her and attempt to take her life.

And while the Young Prince had been granted a vision of the Warrior Priestess, she had been granted one of him as well, one which mirrored a future of what could be. But how, she wondered? How could it be possible? He had hated her, he had tried to kill her, he had given her nothing but for an aching heart. How could she believe when he had told her he loved her? How could she understand when she knew she would have to face the hatred once more?

But all was not lost for the Young Prince and the Warrior Priestess, because they would be allowed to meet again. After more time had passed and both had gained new understanding of the other's pains, they would meet again. They would be offered a second chance to set right the wrongs of the past, and to set out once again on the mission that had brought them together.

So, on the prophesized day where the sun and the moon rose together, the Young Prince and the Warrior Priestess were reunited. But hatred, distrust, anger, and resentment were the powerful barriers that stood between them still. And were it not for a terrible curse, they may never have found their way again.

His great strength stripped from him, the incredible powers bestowed upon him by the gods stolen by one with a dark heart; the Young Prince discovered that there was power greater than strength, and a strength more true than that of body or mind. Left wounded and on the doorstep of death, it was love that brought him back, that gave him the strength to face the darkness that had threatened all their lives.

The Warrior Priestess, her heart breaking to see her beloved Prince fall, gave to him her heart, her soul, the treasure that she had protected all her life. The strength of her love gave him courage once more, gave him the power to stand against their enemies. And stand he did. Together again, there was no darkness they could not face, no pain, no loss that was too much to bear.

They fought once again, fought the dark ones that would stand in the path of their destiny, and again, with their combined might, they achieved a great victory. But this time, they would not be left wanting for the treasure they sought, for the great weapon that had been promised them by the gods. In the wake of their victory, a rift was born that parted time itself.

The Warrior Priestess knew that her time had come, that she would once again be separated from the Young Prince.

'Wait for me,' she asked of him, a silent pleading that he would be there for her return, that he would not forget the time they shared, that he would forgive her for leaving him again.

And in the darkness that was left by her parting, the Young Prince gave her his answer, 'Always.'

But the journey for the Warrior Priestess was not yet over. She was carried through the rift in time, thrown backwards once again to be brought face to face with the great being that had sent her on the mission in the first place. It was he that gave to her the weapon of great power, his hand that washed away her fears and her hesitations, he that made her realize that no matter how deep the darkness a light may still shine, the light of hope sparked from the knowledge that so long as she would love and be loved that she would never be alone.

It is strange, sometimes, how the mistress of fate uses her toys, but for the Warrior Priestess, she couldn't be more grateful for the gifts she had been given. In her hands rested a power unlike any other, a power that could bring change to even the great being that had sent her on her quest. This power, gained by her passage through time, had given the Warrior Priestess one wish, any wish her heart desired. And it was, in a moment of need and of understanding, where she felt the pains of those closest to her heart; that she made her wish.

She wished for the family that she had been so long denied. She wished for a father to be reunited with his children. She wished, if only for a moment, that others could know the love and the joy found in the strong arms of the one that had come to be her father.

It was impulsive and without thought of consequences, but there was no going back. The wish had been made, and the spell taken hold. All that was left was for the Warrior Priestess to accept what she had done, accept that in her heart she knew there could be no better wish, no better way to bring strength the her friends and her family, no better being than the greatness that was her father to stand against the dark ones that still threatened her land and her life.

And so it was, with her father by her side and the great weapon he had crafted for her hands to guide their passage, The Warrior Priestess found her way back to her Young Prince. Reunited at last, and with nothing more that could take them away from each other, the Warrior Priestess and the Young Prince, together with the family that had been formed over thousands of years and by the will of the gods, they would make their last stand.

The darkness would fall, collapse in the face of the mighty warriors that stood against it. All of the pain and all of the sacrifices made would have been worth it. And for the last time, she would shed her tears, tears of forgiveness and of prayer, tears of loss and of new beginnings, tears of faith and of hope.

Tears of the Warrior Priestess.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

See, I didn't abandon this lovely little piece of fiction, I was just taking my time. Hehe, well I was a little distracted, but hey! Give me a break! I can only write what my muses give me to write, and if they say write another story, then I can't help but listen to them. Though, I have to say, that I think writing two stories at one time is messing with my ability to keep the characters in line with how I've written them so far. Yeah…I'll be working on that. But, whatever, it's funny to have Toga being a letch and Sesshomaru being disciplined by his father ;P

Jikoku no Kireme: meaning Rift of Time (and I really hope I'm right on this one being that I really don't speak enough Japanese to be certain)

And please, for your authoress' sanity, don't diss Kagome's story. The telling of the story of the Warrior Priestess was a very big thing through this piece, and there is a reason why it sounds so poetic, or more mature, than her regular manner of speech. The story was written as it was being spoken: as a feudal fairy tale.

Well, I'm off for now.

Later

Shadow


	34. Tears of the Reunited

Tears of the Reunited

Tears of the Reunited

The silence following Kagome's telling was deafening. He knew what she was waiting for, what everyone was waiting for. They were waiting for him to say something, to yell at her perhaps, to fly off and try to kill his bastard brother for stealing away his Kagome, his friend, the reincarnation of his dead lover. And perhaps he would have, if he hadn't been held back by one thing.

It was a pain so consuming and so devastating that it left him numb and cold, empty as though she had reached into his chest and taken out his beating heart. He had no words, couldn't even form a coherent thought. The story had come from her lips, had been told from her memories; but still he couldn't believe.

He couldn't believe that she, the only one that he had ever really trusted, had betrayed him.

But she had. She had lied to him, used him, done what she had sworn she would never. She had betrayed his trust just as Kikyo had. No, Kagome hadn't turned on him, hadn't struck out at him with her powers. But she had stabbed him in the back by finding such comfort in the arms of one who for so long had been his enemy, tore out his heart by offering hers to another, broken his trust by shattering her vow to stay by his side.

And still she had taken more from him. She had taken his only hope.

She was telling him that the power he had sought for so long, the only thing that could ever have given his life, the torturous solitude and degrading, sullied existence given to him by his hanyou blood, meaning. The wish that was to be his, the light of the jewel that had been the only thing burning away the darkness of his consuming torment, had been stolen away.

She had made a wish upon the Shikon. She had taken away his last best hope to be free of the curse that he had been born to.

And for what?

To bring back the bastard that had cursed him to this life in the first place? To give life to one who had been so long dead? To rub in his face the power that could never be his, that he could never hope to live up to?

Family. He could have laughed if it didn't feel as though he were dead already. Love. He could have cried if he didn't think that he would never know its light again. Friend. He had thought she was his, had thought she was the only one that would never hurt him this way.

But she had, and the pain was unbearable.

"Inuyasha?" Her small, pleading voice sounded out to him, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her. "Please, say something."

But he couldn't. He had nothing to say to her. Even if he did, what does one say to the person who had given them a reason to live only to rip it away?

Without looking at anyone, without making a sound or even a gesture to give away his thoughts or his feelings, Inuyasha stood and turned away from the camp. Never once did he look back. Even when he heard her voice calling out to him, he didn't turn, didn't slow. He needed to get away, away from the pain, from the one that had betrayed him so horribly, who had given him back his life only to strip it of all meaning.

No, he couldn't face her now, couldn't look into the eyes of the woman who had robbed him of his hope and his future. Once, he had heard her voice and been pulled away from the dark fires of the underworld because he had believed that he couldn't leave this plane behind, because he believed that there was someone who needed him to stay. But now he had no such delusions. Now he realized that it had all been some false hope, some twisted game of the Kamis that was born only to bring him more pain.

It was over. There was no more reason to fight, no more reason to stay.

He had made up his mind. It was time for it all to end. And there would be no more struggle, no more pain. He would finally be where he belonged, in the arms of one who loved him enough to want to spend eternity with him. His life would end, and no one would mourn his passing. No stories would be told of him after he had gone, a hanyou shunned by the world, hated by both demon and human alike. There was no place for him here, not anymore.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome got to her feet in a rush, intending to follow him. He had looked so crestfallen, so broken after she had told her story. Of course he wouldn't have let it show in any way, but she had seen it in the way he had held himself, in the way he refused to meet her gaze. His feelings of hurt, of betrayal, they had taken over his thinking. Always one to act so brashly, so defensively; in this he had no way to defend himself, no way to face the truth of what had happened, no way but to turn away from the heartache.

But he had been running all his life. For so long he had been shut out from the world, cast aside as an outcast, a burden, a monster. But she had loved him still. As a friend, a brother, and so much more. He was her hero, her knight, the one that would always be there for her. And now she wanted so badly to be there for him, to tell him that he wasn't alone, that he didn't need to run anymore, that she loved him still, that even though things may seem at their darkest there was still a light to be found.

She wanted to chase after him, to talk to him, to do something, anything, that would bring him back to her. But she was held still, her limbs refusing to move, her body betraying her desires.

_What have I done?_ She couldn't help but ask herself the question. Over and over again it echoed through her mind, a frantic, desperate plea to which she had no answer.

"Kagome."

Turning towards her sister, Kagome looked to Sango in desperation. _What do I do?_ She asked her silently with her eyes. _How can I make this right?_

But Sango just shook her head. She didn't know either. She stood and moved over to Kagome, wrapping a steady arm around her trembling shoulders. "Inuyasha will come back once he's calmed down a bit. He always has before."

_But this isn't like any other time_, Kagome wanted to say. This time it was more than a lost battle, more than a lost shard, more than a simple argument. This time it had been about his life, and what she had robbed him of, the future he had dreamed of for so long that now wasn't even an option. She had taken that from him.

_No._ Because she didn't take anything from him. Because what he sought, the life he thought to obtain from the jewel; he didn't need it. Because he was Inuyasha. Be he demon or human or both. He couldn't ever be anything more than that. Didn't ever need to be.

"Pardon me, Ladies." Toga's voice brought the girls' attention to him. He smiled at them warmly, though his eyes quickly moved to catch Kagome's. "I do believe that I have something that belongs to you," he told her, his voice still so steady and captivating, but deepened by his low mirth as he lifted his fur to reveal a bundle of fox kit curled up within the silken fibers fast asleep. "Your stories do have such a wonderful effect on the young ones, Kagome. It is truly a gift."

"Oh, Toga, I'm so sorry!" Kagome quickly reached out to collect her little kit from the Inu. Shippo murmured incoherently as he shifted in his sleep, but rolled easily into Kagome's arms.

"It is no trouble, my dear." Toga replied with a wide grin as he watched the young priestess settle her kit into his bedding by the fire. "I was looking forward to meeting my grandpups." He paused for a moment, his eyes sweeping over the little camp. His gaze settled on Sesshomaru and his smile quickly turned mischievous. "Though, it seems to me that there is someone missing. I don't suppose you would know where I could find a little angel, do you Sesshomaru?"

Kagome could so much see as feel Sesshomaru's anger settle on his father. "Toga…" she warned. Now was not the time to be toying with his son. And Rin was a subject that should not be played with, regardless of good intentions. Sesshomaru's care for that girl, his love for her, was nothing to be made little of. Even if Toga had had a hand in seeing the girl's path be brought together with Sesshomaru's; it had been her that had found love in a heart bound by a wasteland of pain and blood.

"Oh, of course. Where are my manners?" Toga turned back to Kagome quickly, the smile never leaving his lips. He swept down into a graceful bow, his arm crossing himself in an elaborate display. "Whilst in the company of such dignified Ladies, one must see to their needs." Righting himself, Toga sent a sly wink to the Taijiya standing just behind Kagome. "It has been a long day. Would, perhaps, you two Ladies wish to partake of a soothing soak? There is a hotspring not far from here."

Sango blushed and quickly turned away from the smoldering gaze of the Inu. Reaching out to Kagome, she took hold of her friend's arm. "A bath might be a good idea, Kagome. It would give you some time to think about things."

"Yeah," the young miko agreed. She offered her friend a small, delicate smile. "Thanks Sango."

"I would be happy to show you the way."

Flushing in embarrassment, Sango's grip on Kagome's arm tightened nearly painfully. "You hentai dog!" Kagome scolded him harshly as she tugged her Taijiya friend a safe distance away from Toga for his protection. The girl was about three-and-a-half seconds away from bashing him a good one. Really. Kagome had seen her do it many times. And Great and Terrible Inu or not, Toga would have not gotten away from Sango if he managed to push her over the edge. "We can find our own way, thank you very much!" With a huff, Kagome spun away from Toga, dragging Sango behind her and heading towards the trees.

Shaking his head and indulging himself in another low exclamation of mirth, Toga watched them go for a moment. But his attention was quickly turned elsewhere. His gaze shifted, following the path that he had just recently watched his youngest son take.

It was time.

"Ahem." The young monk sought his attention, and Toga spared him a curious glance.

"Would you perhaps have something you would like for me to say to Kagome when she returns and discovers that you have all taken your leave?" Gesturing with a passive wave of his hand, Miroku indicated Sesshomaru's recent departure from the camp.

Toga shrugged. "I am sure you will think of something, monk. And if all else fails," he smirked wickedly, "you could always try distracting her."

"Ah, I see," Miroku replied, bringing his right hand up to stroke contemplatively across his chin. The smooth, cool surface of the prayer beads wrapped securely around his cursed hand glided across his skin, and Miroku's gaze became distant and cloudy as his mind swam with the most enticing…philosophies, of course, in regards to the deep spiritual meaning and tactical significance of the great Inu's wisdom.

"Hn." Toga looked away from the monk and his drifting thoughts. He caught the attention of the little feline curled by the fire with a soft growl inaudible to human ears.

The cat looked to him immediately, but after hearing his low warning, she yawned passively and settled her head back down on her paws. The idiot monk would learn his lesson one way or the other. She didn't really care which way it went down. It was always entertaining to watch.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Kagome, can I ask you something?"

After pausing for a moment to push back a branch from her path, Kagome looked over to Sango. She could see the questions brewing just beneath the surface of the Taijiya's eyes, and she sighed. She knew she would have to tell her friend what had happened, wanted to even; but she was still so distraught over what had happened with Inuyasha that she wasn't sure she was up for it.

Perhaps it had only been wishful thinking on her part to believe that the hanyou would ever be able to accept what had happened to her. But she had hoped...but then, perhaps, it had been her hope, her desire, her need to have the support of her best friend that had clouded her judgment and made her believe that Inuyasha could ever truly understand, that he could forgive her for what she had done and that things would just go back to the way they had always been between them.

Shaking her head to try and clear a path through her turbulent thoughts, Kagome replied, "Sure, I guess."

"How long has this been going on? I mean, with you and Toga, and Sesshomaru…? It all seems rather sudden to me." Sango stopped walking. Her expression was troubled, drawing tight lines in her angular features. "I just don't understand why you wouldn't have said anything before now."

"Sango." Kagome called her name softly. Her hands reached out to take her friend's shoulders and draw her into a tight embrace. "I would have told you if I had known. To you it seems as though I've just left, but to me it's been weeks." She laughed softly, though the sound seemed more one of sorrow than one of joy, and pulled back to offer Sango a weak smile. "But then, even a day with Sesshomaru can sometimes feel like a lifetime."

Sango could see the way Kagome's eyes had darkened, the way her shoulders had slumped as though being forced to bear a heavy load. She knew that the girl was troubled, and she felt for her; but in order to understand, to offer the support she knew Kagome needed, she needed the whole story. "Is he…Are you…Have you…" Not being able to find the words to voice her question, Sango trailed off in uncertainty. It still seemed rather bizarre to her that Kagome and Sesshomaru were…well…anything. He had been their adversary for so long it just seemed surreal for him to be showing up and claiming Kagome as his 'chosen'. And she was still confused as to how Kagome had ended up meeting Toga in the first place.

Kagome knew what Sango was trying to ask. The idea of it caused a soft blush to form on her cheeks. She released her friend quickly and turned to start walking again. "We haven't really gotten that far yet, but I think that…" Her blush took on more heat and color, turning a deep crimson that spread across her cheeks. Her next few words came out in a rush, nearly lost between the distance being put between them by the retreating priestess. "…I want to find out."

Sango smiled behind Kagome retreating back. It was good for her, she thought, to find someone who could give her what she needed. For too long Kagome had been tied down by her feelings for Inuyasha. The hanyou cared deeply for her, but he could never really love her. Kagome knew this, had known it for a long time. But she had never been able to accept it, never been able to move on. If Sesshomaru was giving her the opportunity to do that, then Sango would support them. That is, of course, if the Inu was treating her friend properly. He may be a powerful force, a lethal assassin, a killer with no equal; but she hadn't slain demons all her life without learning a thing or two. And if he hurt her…

Shaking off her dangerous line of thought, Sango hurried to catch up with Kagome. "So," she asked conversationally once walking by her side again. "Sesshomaru's off limits, but can I have Toga?"

"Sango!" Kagome turned to her horrified. Her eyes widened impossibly wide in shock and he mouth was hanging open in outrage.

But Sango just laughed gleefully, happy to have released her friend from her painful struggles, if only for a moment, with her playful jests. "What? You have to admit, he's quite the charmer. And good looking! Mmmm, what I wouldn't give to see what's under that…"

"I'm not even listening to you!" Kagome shrieked, cutting off the Taijiya's musings. She pointed an accusing finger at the older girl. "I told you that spending so much time with Miroku would warp your mind! The man is like a father to me and you're talking about what's under his…GAH!" Throwing her hands up in the air, Kagome turned away again and picked up her pace.

"Alright, alright," Sango relented to the Toga matter for the moment. Of course, the Sesshomaru issue was still fair game. After all, what was girl talk for if it wasn't for talking about boys…or men…or demons…Whatever. The girl knew something, and she was going to spill. "So, what's it like?"

Kagome blinked and turned slightly to face Sango. "What's what like?"

The Taijiya shrugged, making a gesture of nonchalance betrayed by the high lilt of her voice that spoke of hardly concealed amusement. "Having Sesshomaru on a leash?" She quirked an eyebrow suggestively at her friend. "Roll over? Would you care to explain that one, Kagome?"

Squeaking in embarrassment, Kagome fought futilely to contain the hot blush spreading over her cheeks. But, failing in her effort, she abandoned it, allowing herself to be overtaken by light, chiming giggles. "For doggie biscuits!" she squeaked out between her giggles. "I got him to roll over for a doggy biscuit!"

"You can't…be serious?"

"Oh Sango, you should have seen him!" Clutching her sides to try and contain her mirth, Kagome took in her friend's shocked expression. She laughed even harder. "He was so cute as a puppy!"

"I don't even know if I want to ask."

But, of course, she did. And Kagome told her all of what happened. She told her of her fall down the well, of her first meeting with Toga and the mission he had sent her on to find the weapon now slung securely over her shoulder. She told her of her journey with Sesshomaru, of how she had found a side of him she had never dreamed existed, of how they had been drawn so close together by the battles they had fought and the demons they had conquered. And she told her of how difficult it had been for her to leave him when knowing that she would have to return to face his hatred once more.

She told her everything that had happened in the past, but for the future, Kagome could not, or would not reveal to Sango what she had seen or what she had come to know. That time would come as it would. Perhaps the events would unfold as they had been revealed to her, but then, perhaps they would not. In revealing the future she had seen, there was no guarantee that anything could be gained or that something more wouldn't be lost.

Having long since reached the heated waters of the spring and checked the area for threats…as well as peeping toms…the girls allowed themselves some much-needed time to relax as Kagome finished telling her story. The water soothed her, making her words flow more freely, and in no time she had recounted her second journey with Sesshomaru, the curse placed upon him by Tsubaki, the witch's use of the Jewel and her own to heal his wounds, her battle on the mountain with the red dragon, and finally how the rift in time was born in the moment that Kaguya had used the power of the Celestial Robe to freeze the world in a blanket of eternal night.

It was only when she found herself speaking of how she had carelessly and unintentionally made a wish on the Jewel that Kagome finally broke down.

"Was it wrong, what I did?" Her voice was small and trembled with soft tones of regret and remorse. "Have I done something horrible by making the wish when for so long I have promised it to Inuyasha?" Lifting her eyes to the sky above her, Kagome tried to take focus on the soft blinking of the stars to fight back her tears. "It was supposed to be a pure wish…but I…"

"Kagome," Sango interrupted when she saw her friend's resolve begin to waver. "Have you ever considered that it may not be the wish that needed to be pure, but the heart of the one that was making that wish?"

Her brows drawing together slightly, Kagome looked back to her friend. "What do you mean?"

"It was Midoriko's heart that sealed away the darkness of the demons' power, a heart so strong and pure that she would sacrifice herself to see that others would have a chance at life. I've known you for a long time, Kagome. We've been through so much together, but every day you still surprise me. Even after everything that you've seen here, everything that you've been through, still you don't think ill of anyone, are always concerning yourself with the feelings of others before yourself. You even risked the wrath of someone who has so long been your adversary just to help him find the final piece of a legacy left by his long dead father.

"I think that it was no coincidence that you were born with the jewel in your body. I think that, perhaps, Midoriko was waiting for a heart pure enough to not wish for themselves, for power, for change, for anything that would break the peace she brought by sealing the darkness she had fought against. I think she wanted for you to be the one to make the wish. And that you wished for something so simple, so seemingly insignificant, when you could have had anything; I think that in that she found power enough to finally end her battle."

"Power…" Her eyes widening in understanding, Kagome came to the realization of why Toga had seemed so unbothered by her wish. He had known, she realized. He had known that she would be the one to make the wish, but more than that, he had known that it would be for him that she would wish for and what the results of her wish would be. He had known because were it not for her wish he would never have been able to cross through the well, and if he couldn't pass through the well, then Inuyasha wouldn't have been able to pass through either.

The power of the Shikon hadn't been destroyed nor had it been lost. It had simply been changed. It had become a part of him. And he, the strongest of his kind, the most caring and compassionate, the one that had fought to his death to see that the worlds of humans and youkai could be one together in harmony; he had been the only one with the power and the will to overcome the dark calling of the monsters sealed within the Shikon's light.

And what strengths it had given him, he had passed on to his children.

That Sesshomaru could so easily draw power from the jewel but never really be corrupted by its presence, never have his abilities be anything more than what they were. That Inuyasha could transverse a portal only accessible by those connected to the jewel or to the future it had seen from behind her eyes. That she would have been the one to release their father's legacy from his tomb and be protected from the retaliation caused by her presence. They had all been connected by the Jewel long before it had even been created.

_It was not me that started the circle, Kagome. I needed a miko to string your bow._

"It wasn't my power she sought." 

_How do you do it? Make everyone fall in love with you?_

_I told you, Kagome. I am a God. _

"It was his."

_I know the future, Toga. I know how your life will end._

_In my death I will be able to reach far beyond the limits I maintain while still in the land of the living. _

_What was the nice man's name, Kagome? You know, don't you?_

"And he was waiting for me."

_But the truth is that none of that matters, because I must be what most frightens me, because I must be the light no matter how deep and penetrating the darkness. I must be the one to stop the curse, to stand against the darkness._

_How many lives would be forfeit because you would not stand and face your destiny?_

_I never chose your path, you chose it for yourself. You are strong, Kagome, stronger than I think any of us realize._

_How much more would you sacrifice for the Jewel?_

_The final weapon that I will have crafted will be for you, my little priestess. I know you will use it well. _

"He still is."

_The Truth, Kagome, is that you are never alone. _

TTTTTTTTTT

Finally, after having tracked the now familiar scent of fired clay, bones and death, and graveyard soil tainted with black magic and funeral incense; Inuyasha found himself coming near to the one he sought. The scent had grown stronger, her passage marked with signs of recent travel, and in the distance, winding their way through the tangled branches and leafy canopies of the forest, he could see the lithe bodies of the soul stealing insects, their outer-worldly glow leaving behind trails of iridescent light that held between the branches of the trees in an eerie suspension of deceptive beauty.

For a moment he stopped moving, merely standing and watching the passage of the serpents of death. So sleek, so smooth; their movement so deliberate in its seemingly nonchalant way, and yet not innocent at all. Like the hand of death, or of monsters that were told to steal sleeping children from their cradles; they were a plague, a pestilence, things born of nightmares made real.

A cold shiver coursed through him uninhibited as he was struck with the full realization of why he had sought out Kikyo and the implications of where his actions would lead him. He had been so sure, so convinced that this was the path he wanted to walk. But as he stood there watching the ghastly movements of the soul-stealing insects that had for so long sustained the unnatural life of his once-love, he found himself hesitating.

Why would he hesitate? This was the path he had chosen for himself to walk. He had made his promise to her, and he intended to keep it. He would not allow her to spend her eternity in suffering because of him. If there was anything he could do to lessen her torment, he would. If going with her into the dark pits of her eternal condemnation was the price he would have to pay to show her the strength of his love, to be with her after so much pain and so much suffering had come about because of his failure, to bring to her some measure of peace that he could not give her when she was alive; then so be it.

He had made his decision, so then why now did he hesitate?

What did he have to go back to, anyways?

A war that he no longer had a part in? Even revenge for the atrocities committed against him and his beloved Kikyo couldn't be his. With the power of his…with Toga's power there would be no need of him. Without the fang that had been left to him he was as much a danger to his friends as any other demon they faced. They didn't need him if the one that had crafted the sword of his own fangs was willing to fight.

A friend that had no more need of him? She had turned her back on everything they had suffered together. She had found her comfort, not only in the arms of another man, another demon, but in the arms of his own brother, the one that he could never live up to in power, presence, in anything at all. For as long as he could remember Sesshomaru had made sure to let him know just how worthless he was. And by taking Kagome away from him, by having the loyalty of the only one who he thought would never waver in her steadfast place by his side; he had only proven it.

They didn't need him to fight, didn't need his protection or whatever friendship he could offer. And he couldn't sit around and watch as Kagome became a part of the family he had been denied all his life while he was still left as the shameful and disgraceful outcast.

This was the best thing for him to do. He knew it. By leaving he would give her the chance to move on without him, give them all the chance to move on. He had fought so hard for so long, and in the end he had nothing left to show for it. Why should he hesitate now when he knew that there was nothing left he could do for any of them, when there really was nothing holding him back from taking his place with the woman he loved, with the woman he had lost forever?

"It is not so easy to walk towards your death when you know that there is still so much more that needs to be done in the world of the living, is it?"

Growling low in his throat, Inuyasha spun towards the sound of the voice. His eyes swept over the thick of the trees, seeking out the intruder. But he was met with only the soft swaying of the leaves in the night's breeze and the shifting of shadows as they danced and merged together in the darkness. His ears swiveled atop his head as he tried to pinpoint any out of place movement, but there was nothing but the haunting wail of the winds and the soft brushing of the leaves and grasses. Still, the scent carried upon those winds could never lie to him.

His hands clenched furiously at his sides. Another show of power, another way to let him know just how useless he really was. "Fuck off!" He yelled out into the darkness. "I don't want nothing to do with you!"

"That may be, Inuyasha." The voice called out to him again, carried upon the breeze, soft and soothing, but still just as strong and commanding if he were standing face to face with the General. "But whether you wish to admit it or not, you are my son."

"NO!" Shaking his head angrily, the hanyou recoiled into himself as though he had been struck. His hair fell down around him in a silver curtain, concealing the anguish playing across his features. "You have no right to call me that!"

"So angry, Inuyasha. To carry such hatred with you for so long, it must be excruciating. It is remarkable that you have survived so long, and that still you would have the strength to save others from such a fate. I am so proud of you."

Inuyasha wanted to be angry, furious even that the bastard would dare to try and sway him by saying such things. He wanted to lash out. It didn't matter that he couldn't see the one speaking to him; any target would have served to unleash his wrath. But he was bound, restrained by something stronger than his anger or his hatred.

Pain so strong and so stabbing in its crippling grief coursed through him in a debilitating wave, clenching in his gut in an unrelenting vice until he was nearly overwhelmed with the nauseous feeling left to him. The heart that had bled since the day of his birth, left open and vulnerable with the knowledge that he could never have a life like anyone else, that he would always be something to be hated and despised; gripped in anguish so consuming it stole away his strength faster than he could hope to take hold of it.

But he wanted to be angry, wanted to be able to tell his father everything he had been denied because of what he had done, what he had left him to. It was his fault, the father he had never known, the father that had given his life to see that even a hanyou could be given a chance. All his life he had hated him for it, hated him for making him what he was, for abandoning him to a world that would never show him any love, any compassion.

And now he would try to make him feel as though he did have a place, as though he wasn't just an outcast, something forgotten and abandoned. "You don't understand anything!" And he didn't. He didn't know what life had been like for him. He didn't know how so many times he had been on the verge of loosing, or of just giving up.

He didn't know that if it wasn't for Kagome, he would have given up long ago.

Suddenly filled with a new strength, Inuyasha lifted his head to yell out into the trees. "You can't just come here, try to give me this useless charity, and expect me to buy into your sob act! You had your life! You gave it up for a fantasy, a dream that became my nightmare! If you're looking for my forgiveness, my acceptance, just so that you can go to your grave without regrets, then you best start looking somewhere else! I don't want your pity! I don't want your compassion! I don't want anything to do with you! Just go away! Leave me alone!"

Turning away, determined to leave behind anything to do with this encounter; Inuyasha was stopped in his tracks when Toga stepped out of his concealment. He was right in front of him, so close that he could have reached out and touched him. His eyes flashed in the darkness of the shadows, a sharp glint of incomprehensible power hidden just beneath the surface of his golden eyes that burned through the night like the breaking of the dawn. But beneath the striking light, beneath the glow of power, there was a sadness that spread through the golden surfaces, reflected in the soft clash of amber waves within.

"I think that you have lived too long in the belief that you are alone, Inuyasha. It is time for you to open your eyes and see that there is a world in which you were meant to live, and a destiny that you were meant to fulfill. I will not have you throw it all away on a walking corpse before you have been given at least the opportunity to find your path."

Not waiting for Inuyasha to recover from the shock of his words, Toga stepped to the side to reveal the form that had been concealed behind him. There, wrapped securely in the hold of her own soul-stealers, though no longer in control of their actions, was his beloved, his Kikyo.

Her eyes locked onto him; hard, cold, and filled with anger and other emotions so dark Inuyasha couldn't bear to name them. "What is the meaning of this, Inuyasha?" Though the tone and measure of her voice was smooth and unwavering, there was a dark warning hidden between the words, a threat concealed within that had been born of her mistrust and her resentment of his own.

"Let her go!" Inuyasha demanded heatedly as he flexed his clawed hands in preparation to lash out and destroy the creatures holding his love. He turned the blazing amber of his furious gaze upon his father. "She hasn't done anything to you!"

"I beg to differ," Toga intoned flatly. "It is for her that you are willing to give up everything, for her that you would make waste of all the struggles and hardships you have endured to live the life you have been given, for her that you would suffer eternity in the fires of hell. Such I will not allow to come to pass. Her fate was sealed by her betrayal and compounded by the acts she has committed in this false life. But no creature is beyond redemption, and no soul is beyond saving."

"What would a youkai know of redemption?" Kikyo laughed, the sound hollow of mirth and dry with distain. She shifted in her trappings, small gestures against the tight grasp of the youkai insects that held her as she tried to find a way to free her hands to bring her spiritual powers to bear. But Toga had seen her movements, and with a low growl he ordered the youkai restraining her to tighten their hold. Her dark eyes snapped up to lock onto the piercing gold of his. She held his gaze steadily, never wavering even in the face of such a powerful opponent. After all, she had nothing to loose, not even a life. "It is creatures like you that give fuel to the fires of hell. Look into my eyes, demon, and see the fate that awaits you in the afterlife."

"My fate?" Toga laughed richly, though his eyes remained hard and fierce as they locked with those of the dead priestess. "You are very presumptuous for one that is dead, but not very perceptive. In this time, I am already dead. And yet still you do not recognize me? Were you such a sorry excuse for a miko in your life? Did you dismiss your teachings as easily as you dismissed the love offered freely to you by my son?"

Her eyes narrowing in resentment, Kikyo glared at the Inu. "I am well aware of whom you are pretending to be, but I am not as easily fooled as the hanyou."

Biting back an angry snarl, Toga forced himself to maintain the air of indifference even as he caught sight of the crestfallen look that spread over Inuyasha's face at the dead one's comment. "Whether or not you accept a truth so obvious is none of my concern. I have no need nor want to indulge in futile exchanges with the dead, especially those whom are only a shell of what they had been in life." Turning from her in dismissal, Toga brought his focus back to Inuyasha. "The spirit that inhabits this shell is only a part of the whole. What false life that has been given to her is born of dark magic, and thus can only sustain the darkest of emotions and memories. This creature is not the woman that you had loved. Surely you know this, Inuyasha."

Though a part of him wanted to object to Toga's statement, Inuyasha could not deny the truth of what he had known since the unnatural birth of Kikyo's dead body. His eyes shifted to find hers, seeing in the darkened surfaces a truth that he could no longer deny. No matter how much he may have wished it, no matter how much his heart ached for it to be false; he knew that this wasn't Kikyo, not really.

"It doesn't matter," he answered quietly. "She still needs me."

"I need no one!" Kikyo hissed out angrily as she began her struggles anew. This life had given her a freedom she had never known in her first life. She answered to no one, wasn't weighed down by the duties and responsibilities of her past existence. She was free to choose her own path, free to make the decisions and take the actions that she never could have in her life. She could feel joy without remorse, could know love without regret, could taste vengeance without being held back by pity or shame or regret. She was free, freer than she had ever been. She wouldn't go back. She wouldn't!

Finally managing to find leverage in her restraints, Kikyo broke one hand free. Immediately her magic answered to her call, bursting forth in a wave of brilliant blue that lanced out from her fingertips in searing bolts. A terrible hissing screech was released by the youkai that had bound her, but she paid it no heed. The second she was free, her attention turned to the Inu that had trapped her by bending her own servants' wills.

Her hands came up in a warding gesture, already weaving through the motions of the enchantment that she would cast; but before she could even call up a second wave of energies, she was being restrained again. Only this time, it was not her insects that held her bound. It wasn't even anything of this world that made her limbs freeze in their place and pulled against her tattered soul.

In a movement so swift that she had hardly recognized it, the Inu had unsheathed his blade. It sliced through the space between them with a ripping hiss that registered in her ears only after he had completed the sweeping arch of his strike. And there, in the path where his blade had cut, the fabric of the plane she stood upon had been torn, ripped asunder and left as a great gaping maw darker than the night that surrounded them.

"No…" She tried to move away, but she was being held fast, the borrowed time of her soul screaming out in agony as it was brought face to face with the mirror image of herself twisting and thrashing in the throws of unbearable anguish as it was ripped and torn and mutilated by the searing fires and the unforgiving hands of the demons of hell.

The compassionate one, the one that felt remorse and pity, that knew sorrow and regret, that held onto the heart that had been broken. She that had been denied the rebirth, that had been left behind, passed over by the grasping hands of the dark spell that had set her free. She that was her and yet was not still remained trapped in those fires, screaming out her agony, crying for an end to the torment that would never come. She was calling out to the final part of her soul, calling to be reunited with what had been taken. And the call could not be turned aside, could not be overcome. She was pulling her in, bringing her to that place of darkness, to the fire of her eternity beset on her by her own hand, by her own betrayal. And there was nothing that could stop it.

"What's happening?" Inuyasha had seen the opening of the hell portal, and he knew that it had been So'unga that had created the breech. But looking in to the darkness, he could see nothing but the surging masses of the underworld. Their shrill screams of horror and anguish filled him. It was as though the sound was not coming from outside of him, but echoing within his head, twisting his thoughts and his perceptions, making him feel their pain, become one with their suffering. He brought his hands up to cover his ears, a futile attempt to block out the madness. "Stop it!" he screamed over the rush of broken voices and deathly shrieks.

"Inuyasha."

Somehow Toga's voice broke through the never ending drone of horror and madness. It sounded out to him, still just as strong as steady as always, and Inuyasha reached for it like a lifeline, trying to focus on the steady tenor and not the piercing wails and horror-filled screams.

"Herein lies the way to save her soul. In the chaos, trapped by the madness, held down by the anguish and the suffering; that part of her soul that has been denied, that has been contained in the darkness, awaits. To save her from her torture, to bring her back from the eternity of suffering that she endures, you must know your heart, must believe in the strength that it gives you, must be able to find the light to part the darkness. Is your love strong enough, Inuyasha? Join her in her eternity, or save her from this fate. Only you have the power to find the soul lost within the madness, but only if you do not waver, if you do not fall victim to the calls of the dead."

For a moment, all Inuyasha could do was stare blankly at Toga. Then, slowly, with wary understanding dawning on him, his eyes drifted back to look upon the open portal. Tearing through the shadowy greens and soft vividness of the forest, the path left by So'unga was a like a path of blood burning with flames as black as the void, and beyond the charred ground shifted in breaking tremors that spewed hot lava to rain down on the writhing masses of broken and tortured souls.

But as he looked upon the horror, even as his eyes burnt from the heat of the fires and his ears were nearly bleeding from the piercing shrieks and soulless cries, even as he could feel the dark fires in his blood raging and cutting through him in terrifying surges of dreadful heat in response to the maddened call; he knew that he would go.

His eyes hardened, the golden surfaces no longer taking in the sight of the fires but reflecting them in hard flashes of blackened crimson. He looked back to Toga only for an instant, and then his hand wrapped tightly around the hilt of his sword and he stepped forward into the darkness.

TTTTTTTTTT

Miles away, still secluded in the heavy mists of the hotspring, Kagome tensed in apprehension. She could feel the disturbance in her core. It hummed through the land as a low wail, and trembled through the air in a shiver upon the breeze. It brushed up against her senses like clammy hands trailing fingers of fear across her skin, leaving her shivering and cold despite the heat of the waters.

Breathing in a sharp breath, Kagome immediately pulled herself out of the water and moved to collect her clothing.

"Kagome," Sango's voice called out to her. "What's the matter?"

"It's…" Pausing only for a moment to look back at her friend, Kagome made her decision. "It's nothing," she said quickly as she tugged her clothing into place, ignoring the dampness settling into the soft cotton. "I'll meet you back at camp, alright?"

"Kagome."

Sango's voice carried a hint of suspicion and warning, and when Kagome saw the taijiya begin to move towards her, she panicked. She reached down quickly and took hold of her weapon, intending to put as much distance between her and Sango as she could. She knew what she had been feeling, had felt the unsettling pull of the damned before, and she knew that no mater how strong Sango was she could not stand against the luring cry of the maddened dead.

So focused on taking her leave, Kagome hardly noticed the bright glow coming from the bow in her hands. Even as she wound her way back through the trees of the forest intent on making her way to where the unnatural portal had been opened between the worlds of the living and the dead, she didn't notice the unnatural stillness of the world around her, the way the winds no longer blew through the trees, the way the branches were trapped in poses of their eternal dance, unable to complete the motions as they swayed in rhythm with the breeze. Even the insects that flitted through the dark shadows and the heavy brush made no sound and no movement, captured in the still frame of glass that the world around her had become.

It was only when she was nearing the small camp set up by her friends that she began to notice the heavy drain on her energy. She stopped running, thinking to catch her breath. But in the stillness created around her, the straining sound of her breathing was so loud it seemed deafening as it echoed through the heavy layer of silence.

"What…"

Her question was cut off abruptly when she felt her arm snagged from behind in a jarring grip. In an instant, the world swept back to life. The wind blew, rustling the leaves and bowing the branches of the trees to continue in their dance. Insects hummed in a steady pulse in the backdrop of the wood, giving the night the sense of being alive, of breathing in a breath along with the creatures that inhabited it.

Disoriented in her awakening, it took Kagome a moment to realize who it was that held her, or that she was being held at all. She was reminded of the other presence though when she heard his voice.

"An interesting trick, miko; but a trick is all."

"Sess…Sesshomaru?" she questioned weakly as she turned to face him. She lifted her questioning eyes to find his. "What…happened?"

Arching an eyebrow in curiosity, Sesshomaru took in the miko's awed expression. "Hn," he replied flatly as he eyed the bow in the miko's hands critically. "It seems the claw responds to you even without directed focus. Interesting."

"My bow?" Kagome asked as she too looked down to the weapon she carried. She could feel the gentle heat that emanated from the flawlessly smooth surface, an inner strength that carried into her as a small reminder of the strength and love she felt in Toga's loving embrace. But what had happened? She could remember leaving Sango behind, remember feeling the need to keep her friend safe from the pull of the dark fires and the shrieks of lost souls. And then it was as though everything had slowed down. She could remember running, remember her flight through the forest, but it seemed a blur, as though all of it had been only moments when she knew it should have been many.

She shook her head. "I don't understand. I was only trying to…" She paused, her eyes widening slightly in understanding. "I was trying to get away," she said in an excited rush as she looked back up to Sesshomaru. "I didn't want Sango to be able to follow me because…Oh!" she gasped softly. "Sesshomaru, we've got to go! So'unga, it's…"

"I am aware, Kagome," Sesshomaru interrupted her frantic urging. "However, our presence is unnecessary at this point in time."

"What?" Kagome reeled back in shock and outrage. "How can you say that? The portal to hell has been opened and you have the nerve to say we're not needed? Of course we're needed! The last time So'unga…"

"It was not So'unga." Again Sesshomaru interrupted, silencing the miko's angry protests. "My father created the rift, and he now stands guard over it. There is no need to fear anything emerging from the underworld so long as he wields the Three Swords of Power."

Shaking her head again, Kagome tried to find the words to voice her true fears. "It's not…It's not Toga that I'm worried about…"

"He will return."

Gasping softly, Kagome looked up to Sesshomaru, only to find that his gaze was no longer settled on her but somewhere off in the distance, beyond the trees of the forest as though he were looking straight through the thick of the undergrowth. Not being able to help it, a small, tender smile rose on the young miko's lips. "It's sweet that you have such faith in Inuyasha's abilities."

Sesshomaru sniffed in offense and slid his eyes back to meet with hers. "I am simply optimistic that I will not have to resort to going in after him to prevent you from doing something impulsive and rash."

Brushing off the insult with hardly a batted eyelash, Kagome's smile grew. "Awww," she cooed as she moved over to Sesshomaru and placed her hand gently on his arm. "Are you worried about me?" She squeaked in surprise when she felt him shift against her, wrapping his arm around her back and drawing her closer to him. "Hey! What do you think you're…"

Her words were stolen from her when his mouth closed over hers. Forgetting her question, her worries evaporating under the heat of the spell he cast upon her, Kagome melted into his embrace and gave herself over to the warmth spreading through her from his touch.

When he finally pulled back to give her a moment to catch her breath, Kagome could see the slight smirk lifting the corners of his lips. She scowled. "You know, you're not always going to be able to shut me up just by kissing me."

"Hn," Sesshomaru replied. His features shifted, becoming stripped of all previous expression to leave in their place a placid mask of indifference and seriousness. "Then it seems I shall have to find another way in which to take your breath away."

Blushing furiously in embarrassment and wondering how she had gone from scolding him to becoming intimidated by him and all his…well…maleness, Kagome squirmed in his hold to try and free herself from the embarrassment. Sesshomaru, however, didn't seem ready to let her go, and he only tightened his hold on her. "Sesshomaru…" she started, but when her eyes met his and she saw the passionate fire that burned within the golden oceans for her, she lost all coherent thought.

She found herself leaning into him again, oblivious and uncaring of the world, knowing only his presence and hers and becoming lost in the endlessness of the moment. But just before her lips touched his, just before she was allowed to fall into passion's fire, the moment was shattered like a million shards of glass breaking from a window caught in a storm.

"Kagome!"

The little voice rang out in the distance, and, reluctantly, Kagome turned to face the new arrival. She plastered her best fake-happy smile on her lips just in time for Rin to come barreling through the thick bushes of undergrowth. The girl clambered over her awkward limbs in her haste to reach her friend, making such a sight that Kagome's false smile was quickly turned to one of true joy.

"Hey, Rin," Kagome greeted the bouncing child cheerily as she kneeled down to lessen the impact of the full-tilt hug that was coming her way. She caught the girl in her arms and gave her a tight squeeze. "How have you been? Behaving for Sesshomaru and Jaken, I hope."

"Oh yes," the girl chimed merrily with an enthusiastic nod. "Rin has been very good for Lord Sesshomaru."

Kagome couldn't help but notice the way the girl had left out the name of one noticeably absent toad. She took in the bright smile on the child's lips with a suspicious eye. But before she could question the child on the matter, Rin was already skipping away from her, back towards the bushes she had emerged from.

"Master Jaken!" Rin called out as she poked her head into one section of the brush. "Master Jaken!" she called again when she had failed to locate the toad, "You can come out now." She poked her head into anther bush, this time releasing an excited squee and shuffling back from the bushes with one little green toad in tow. "Say hello to Miss Kagome, master Jaken."

"Insufferable child," the little toad croaked as he swatted the hands of the child away from their clutches on his vest. "I will have nothing to do with that human wench, and neither should you! She will warp you into thinking like every other filthy, repulsive, wretched…"

"Jaken."

Sesshomaru's stern tone had the little imp prostrated on the ground in two seconds flat. "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru?" he asked meekly. "Is there anything you would have of this lowly servant?"

"Be quiet."

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru, oh proud and noble and most dignified Lord. This Jaken shall…"

Sparing a glance at the unnaturally silenced toad, Rin quickly turned her attention back to Kagome. "Miss Kagome?" she asked with a small, excited bounce. "Are you the surprise that Lord Sesshomaru told Rin about?"

"Surprise?" Blinking in shock, Kagome cast a curious look at Sesshomaru. But, discovering he wasn't even looking at her, she huffed in his general direction and turned back to the little girl. "Well, I'm not sure Rin. But how about we go back to my camp and we'll talk about it some more?"

"Okay," Rin chirped happily. She skipped forward and took hold of Kagome's hand, pulling her friend along.

Kagome laughed happily and quickly turned Rin in the right direction before joining in her playful skipping. Before she left though, she looked back at Sesshomaru one last time. He was still looking off into the distance, and it suddenly hit her what he was doing. He was focusing his senses on what was happening by the hell portal. Even though he was here, seemingly unperturbed by his surroundings and offering her his support; he was still on guard, still prepared to fight should the need arise.

A warm smile rose on her lips as she looked away, brought back to the present by the soft tugging on her hand by the bouncing girl-child.

TTTTTTTTTT

Gray and black. Everything after he had stepped through the portal was nothing but gray and black. His feet walked upon the ground, but the ground was made of rock slicked with the black rain falling from the dismal reaches of the bleary-grey sky. There was no sun, no light. Only the black of the ground from the raining spray of black blood and split and cracked by the fires.

Looking into those flames was like looking into the dark reaches of something unknown. They made you feel as though if you were to just reach into the blackness, into the abyss of the unknown, that would you find something incredible. For surely, there had to be something concealed within something so dark. But it was only the black and the heat of the flames that you would find. They would burn you, ravage not only your body but sear into your very soul.

And there was _them_. The creatures. The things of black. They were things half-formed, wretched, hunched, disfigured and lamely. Their skin was nothing but chars of once-flesh and splinters of once-bone. They were ravaged, wasted away from whatever form had once been, destroyed by the fires and the madness of the pits, the screams of terror and anguish.

But they were greedy. It was in their eyes, the darkest parts of them. Like the fires, they would take you in, make you think there should be something beyond, some spark in the darkness. But it was the black that had taken over. Whatever they had been, they were no more.

Now the dark wanted more. It wanted him.

The things of black reached out to him, their hands twisted and knarled into hideously grasping claws that dripped with the raining blood. The first of the creatures Inuyasha had taken to the ground with swift sweeps of his blade. But even cut the things of black would continue reaching to him, their cries and wails and hideous screeching never ceasing in its maddening cadence. So many, too many to count. They were everywhere, covered everything.

No, he could not fight them all. Didn't need to. He pushed off from the ground, throwing back many of the writhing forms with the force he created against the shifting rocks at their feet. High above where the things of black crowded the ground, Inuyasha could see beyond, across the gray sky, across the barren land broken by the fires that licked from the ground to silhouette against the grey like looming pillars of destruction.

But in the gray backdrop of what served as a sky in this dark place, Inuyasha could make out other forms. Different from the twisted and ruined bodies of the black things when he had stepped through the portal; theses were bigger, stronger, prowling the skies and sweeping down into the hoards of screaming and thrashing bodies to pluck the withered ones from their torments only to give them new pains and new suffering.

For an instant, looking across that gray stretch of land, seeing the darkness of the falling blood and the eternal flames, and hearing the shrieks of madness; Inuyasha felt despair. How? How could he find anything in this madness? How could anything survive this wretched existence? How could anyone?

'_Kikyo…'_ His heart called out to her desperately. The very thought of the woman he had loved made his heart ache. The pure and gentle soul that she had held being trapped in this place, subjected to the fires and the tortures, held in an inescapable darkness without anything to hold onto. No hope, no will, no heart could survive this madness, this endless black of hideousness and despair.

But then, as though in answer to his silent call, he caught sight of something. Somewhere in the distance, beyond the pillars of dark fire, somewhere in the dark and the gray, there was something else. A spark of light, a glimmer in the shadows. So out of place in the darkness of the underworld, and he knew in an instant that there was only one thing that could give off any light when surrounded by the most hideous of demons and the maddened souls of the lost.

A miko, a child of purity, a creature of the light. Even here in this wretched place, even trapped in the dark fires and surrounded by the shrieking souls of the damned, still the heart of a miko burned with the radiance of the light.

He should have known. Kikyo would never have been sent here. The gods would never have allowed such a travesty to befall their devoted servant. Her life had been nothing but a tribute to them. A servant to their wills even in her last breath, Kikyo had sacrificed everything to see that the hands of darkness could never hold the power of the jewel left in her care.

It had been the calling of the darkness that had trapped her in this place, the hand of evil fed through black magic conjured on the mortal plane. She had been ripped from her haven, stolen from her peace and her rest; but still she had not succumb, still she fought, and still her light would shine.

Exhilarated, and filled with new conviction and hope, Inuyasha picked up his pace, propelling himself across the slabs of stone shifting through the land of fire with the strength of his demonic blood and the call of his human heart.

TTTTTTTTTT

Flaring his aura powerfully, allowing the crimson fires of his spirit spread out from his form and lick across the land in a deadly inferno, Toga growled a warning to the creatures advancing on the opened portal. They were nothing but nuisances, but he would not allow even one to escape from their prison of fire. Enough madness existed in the world without being fueled by the fires of hell and the power of its minions. The balance must be maintained, never giving sway to one side or the other lest both be destroyed.

Still, seeing the mindless and savage motions of the creatures as they climbed over one another to reach their deformed appendages towards the color and the light of the mortal plane, he itched to relieve them of their existence. Oblivion would be such a release for them. And the very thought of being able to distract his thinking with a battle no matter how insignificant was extremely appealing.

However, he had so much so do, and so very little time. He turned away from the portal, blocking the rift with both his body and the powerful flaring of his aura, and looked back to the dead priestess. His presence had lessened the intensity of her trance, and now she stood glaring at him murderously, the dark of her eyes blackened no longer by the hell fires but by her own hatred and selfish desires.

"You have sent him to his death," she hissed out coldly.

"Hn," Toga replied flatly, "And I suppose this is the part where you tell me that honor was supposed to be yours?"

"No. It is mine."

Toga blinked, the only evidence of his surprise, before he casually turned to look over his shoulder at the new presence. "How kind of you to join us, Sesshomaru; but if you've come to wish Inuyasha luck, I am afraid you are too late."

"The hanyou will need more than luck," Sesshomaru replied as he stepped closer, turning his sights to the wasteland beyond the portal. "He will need a miracle." With no more words to be offered, Sesshomaru didn't even make a backwards glance before he stepped through the hell portal.

For a time Toga simply watched as Sesshomaru began making his way through the dark shadows of the pits. He had to admit, this was unexpected. While it was his belief that Inuyasha would have been able to fight his way clear of the condemned, there really was no certainty in it. If the boy faltered for any reason, if his heart for the path he had chosen was corrupted by the dark fires, it was entirely possible for the boy to loose himself in the torment. Of course, Toga wasn't about to let his son be lost forever in the clutches of the dark, but he also knew that Inuyasha needed to be given the opportunity to at least try to retrieve the lost soul of the woman he had loved from her prison.

Still, it was strange that Sesshomaru was making his presence known in such a way. For him to even have come was a great testament to the man that he had become. It was not for his own reasons that he walked into those fires, but for the hearts of others. And what was more, in that place where the heat of the fires burned away all traces of what once was, for Sesshomaru to be able to follow Inuyasha's trail he must have found something within himself that was stronger than those fires and called louder than the piercing shrieks of the damned.

A slow smile began to form on Toga's lips. Indeed, his sons had grown well. Selfishly, he wished he could have more time, be there with them in the days to come, see them grow even further and come to know them for who they really were; but he knew that he could not. Standing in the path to the underworld, he could feel the pull within him that told him his time here had passed. Perhaps not in the world he had come from, but in this time, in this place, his presence was upsetting the delicate balance.

It was only a matter of time before he would be forced to part ways with his family once again. But before that would happen, he would ensure that they would have all that they needed to face their demons.

"Yes, I can see it now." The dead miko's voice pulled Toga from his musings and he turned to face her. "You truly are not of this world. You carry the same displacement as my reincarnate. But like her, you do not belong here. And like her, your presence only serves as more fuel to the fires of darkness. She was the one that brought the jewel back to this time, and now you repeat her mistakes by allowing a power that had been purged from the land to return. You call my existence dark, but exempt yourself from such analysis. It is you that have followed your own selfish desires to come here, you that have endangered all life by breaking through the course of time, you, demon, that would see to your own conquests, your own corrupted pursuits, your own delusions of power fulfilled despite the cost to others."

"Do no speak of what you do not know," Toga warned her.

"Or what?" Kikyo challenged. "You will kill me? It is a little late for that."

"There are worse things than death," he replied. "You would be wise not to test me lest you find out what they are."

She scoffed. "And risk loosing Inuyasha's delicate trust? I don't think you would be willing to risk so much. Where would your plans for him be then?"

"The only plans I have for my son is to see him happy. But I do not expect you to understand such things, you who knows nothing of love."

"Love," Kikyo spit at the word. "A demon that claims to act out of love is the worst kind of demon, the cruelest of them all. For no demon has ever had the heart to love."

Toga cocked his head slightly as he regarded the once-priestess. It occurred to him, and not for the first time, that even in her darkened existence that there should have been at least some glimmer of the light that had shone within her in her life. It troubled him greatly that he could see none. Perhaps, he thought, he had made an error in judgment in allowing Inuyasha to descend into the pits to retrieve her captured soul. Perhaps there truly was no redemption for this one, for perhaps it was that she truly felt no regret for her actions. If that was so, then Inuyasha would indeed need a miracle to escape from her clutches…a miracle, or a little help.

Sesshomaru…

Taking the Inu's silence and the way his eyes had narrowed marginally in apparent anger as an admission of his own guilt, Kikyo smile maliciously. "You can not deny it, can you? You demons are all alike, nothing but savage, evil, bestial creatures that should be slaughtered!"

"You should take more care to whom you speak, golem," Toga replied. No longer was his vision distant, nor clouded with thought. His gaze was fixed and determined. It was the eyes of the hunter that had emerged from beneath the placid golden surfaces, making them sharp and glint fiercely even in the night. "I am not the demon you speak of. I am a god."

And with those words he delivered his judgment upon her. The Sword of Heaven pulsed with its radiant light as it swept through the air on the softest of breezes, a miracle bestowed upon the earth that could call even to the land beyond of sun and skies with a voice so pure and so compelling it rivaled even the choirs of angels upon the celestial summit.

For a moment in time the three worlds had become one. Heaven and hell had joined with the earth. The cries of anguish met with the beauteous melodies. And upon the earth, in the balance between light and dark, where the mortal realm met with its creators; a voice could be heard in the stillness. It was not a voice of substance or words. It was a feeling, a whisper against the senses. And in the call there could be seen something that had been forgotten, or something that had never been known.

There was truth. In all of its terrible glory, in the balance between light and dark; there was truth.

In the soft calling of truth, there could be no deception; and Toga abandoned the façade of the mortal form he had taken. From within him, the crimson fires of his spirit took hold him and carried him away into their eternal dance. He embraced the flames, the burning brightness, and, for a moment, he was granted his own freedom, his own measure of truth.

As the fires cleared, there remained the image of a great beast, but in his eyes there still burned the crimson flames of eternity. Lowering his massive frame to the ground, Toga settled his head down between the opened gates of the underworld, barring the passage with the gleaming edges of his razor fangs.

He closed his eyes. Listening. Waiting.

TTTTTTTTTT

Slipping silently through the shadows cast by the trees, Kagome edged herself away from the camp. She had returned with Rin some time ago, seen to the girls care and settled her into her sleeping bag along with little Shippo. But still Sesshomaru hadn't returned. And when she had looked for him, when she had stretched out her senses to find his presence, she found that she could not. He had stepped out of the range of her senses, but the tight gripping in her chest told her that it was not merely distance that separated them any longer.

"Kagome."

"Kiya!" Stumbling backwards in start, Kagome fumbled for her footing. Once finding it, she braced herself, gripping her bow firmly to still the trembling of her limbs. "Miroku!" she hissed out as she turned to face the monk. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"It seems to me that you were the one sneaking, Kagome," the monk observed calmly, noting with a critical eyes the way his comment made the young miko tense.

"Miroku, I…"

"Oh, you needn't explain to me," he told her with a wide, devious grin. "Why, a young maiden sneaking off into the woods at night is always the work of some kind of demon. It is simply fortunate that you seem to have such a taming effect on such beasts. Perhaps you would share some of your secrets with me?"

"Perverted monk," Kagome bit out in accusation. "It's not anything like you're thinking. I have to…" she trailed off in uncertainty. She had to what? Come charging in to the rescue? Not very likely. Since when did Sesshomaru need rescuing? Not to mention the fact that Inuyasha and Toga were there as well. There shouldn't be anything for her worry about. There shouldn't be any reason for her to go. But still… "I have to go."

"Kagome," Miroku called her name softly. "I am certain that your pack will return. All of them."

"I…I know that. It's just…It's just that I…" She shook her head sharply to rid herself of her hesitation. "No. I'm sorry, Miroku, but I'm going."

"I see," the monk drawled out slowly. He smiled suddenly, making Kagome tense once again. "Let me give you a proper farewell then," he offered brightly, closing the distance between them before she could protest and pulling her into a tight hug.

"Miroku!" Kagome cried in embarrassment as she struggled against his hold. But her struggles died in an instant beneath her rigid fury when she felt that damned monk's hand begin to wander ever lower down her back.

"HENTAI!!"

Coupled with her shrill scream was a resounding _thud_ as her bow came into hard contact with the monk's hard head.

"Kagome?" Breathing out an oath, Kagome turned reluctantly to face Sango. "Is everything alright?" she asked while shooting a hard look at the floored monk and scowling her displeasure at him.

"Yeah fine," Kagome bit out as she too glared down at the monk.

But Miroku just smiled, an attempt to look bashful, but which was far to knowing to be completely fooling. He slowly pulled himself to his feet, rubbing his head in a well-practiced motion to soothe the aching throb of a woman's scorn. "Well, it seems my work is done here. Ladies," he gave a respectful bow. "I shall be retiring for the evening."

Kagome glared at the retreating back of the monk. She knew what he had done.

"Kagome, we should get back to the fire."

And it had worked.

Sighing, Kagome nodded. She couldn't bare the thought of taking off on Sango again without an explanation. She turned back to the camp with her friend.

But as she walked, she looked back over her shoulder. Hoping. Waiting.

TTTTTTTTTT

Inuyasha roared as he spun quickly to deliver another devastating sweep of his blade's power. The flames of torn wind and demon fire ignited against the black backdrop of the underworld. It seared through the dark bodies of the creatures and connected with the black fires in explosions that rocked the shifting foundations of rock and lava that charred the land.

Panting heavily, he turned again to his path towards the light. He was so close now. So very close. But _they_ were everywhere. The creatures of black. As he had neared the light they had grown in number and size. They crowded around it, terrible moths drawn to a flame of hope. They were mindless, tore at each other without heed of anything. But they could never be cut down. They would rise again. Bleeding the black blood and crying out in their anguished howls of shrieking horror, they continued on.

He hated them. He wanted to kill every last one of them, silence their maddening wails, tear out their throats and butcher their hideous bodies until there was nothing left to crawl up and grasp for him with hideously deformed hands that sought nothing but his blood and suffering.

He stumbled as he forced himself to turn back to his path towards the light. The call was so loud, screaming in every part of his mind, searing through him in the dark fires of his demon blood. It was consuming. And fighting against it was becoming harder and harder with every passing moment.

But he had to press forward.

His eyes lifting to look upon the only light in the hideous darkness, he found his strength once more. Sounding out a battle cry, he charged forwards into the masses of black that blocked his path. He swung his sword in massive arcs, cutting through bone and flesh without regard, not hearing the screams that cried for the pain he had caused over the roaring anguish that echoed in every reach of this terrible place.

But then, just when he thought he might break through, just when the light was almost within his reach, a new darkness emerged. It rose out of the masses, a hulking giant of fused flesh and scavenged bone. Its entire body was leaking with the putrid black blood, flowing down the huge bulk of its frame in an endless stream of sickness and death.

Its eyes though, they were possessed of a different kind of darkness, a sentient gleam of wicked intention. There was recognition in those eyes, a recognition born of hatred.

The beast roared, lifting itself to its full height to tower over the hanyou below. And Inuyasha could do nothing but look on in dazed recognition when he realized what power fed this beast and why it born him of all the other creatures stranded in this wicked place such burning hatred.

Even in the non-light that cloaked the Underworld, he could see the sharp flash of a blade in the monster's hand.

So'unga.

"Finally." The voice cut through the howling cries of the dammed, a hiss so dark and filled with malice it was the very sound of fear. Born of the dark fires themselves, So'unga's presence here was the only power. But it was not the creature formed of the dark bodies that spoke, it was the blade itself, the dark spirit sealed within. "I have been waiting for you to come, Inuyasha. I have been waiting to be the one to bind you to your eternal Hell."

"Keh!" Inuyasha huffed as he widened his stance and redoubled his grip on his blade. "I ain't impressed. Seems to me like you're the one stuck here and I'm the one with a two way pass."

"You will have no freedom from my darkness! Yours will be an eternity of suffering!"

"You always did talk too much," the hanyou remarked bitterly. "Let's just get on with it. I've got places to be."

The Dark Spirit of the blade laughed wickedly. "You have no power in my domain!"

"Yeah, well," Inuyasha replied as he began to lift his blade, "there's only one way to find out." Bringing Tetsusaiga down in a hard sweep, he unleashed its fury to tear over the mutated form possessed by the demonic blade.

But So'unga was prepared, and it too unleashed its attack. The power of the winds collided with the dark fires, exploding in a fury that rocked the land and sent searing bolts of charged energy scattering in every direction. But in the domain of the dark ones, where their anguish and suffering could add fuel to the dark fires, the winds were broken apart, left scattered and listless, unable to stop the fury of the coming storm.

Inuyasha saw the break in his attack, but even as he set himself to repel the angry torrent of chaotic demon fire, there was a part of him that was already raging with it, that had already succumbed to the darkness of its call. It was despair, misery, desolation, hopelessness. It gripped him with bindings so strong that even his heart could no longer see the light ahead.

He lifted his blade, but the action was made of will alone, of the refusal to give in, the inability to lie down and die.

Because he couldn't die. He couldn't allow himself to succumb to the madness of this place. Perhaps had it been for himself that he had walked into these fires, he may not have come out again. But he knew, somewhere, seen even in the darkness and heard even over the scream of horrid anguish, he knew that he had to fight, that he had to save her. He knew this even as her felt the first wave of So'unga's attack sweep over him, he knew it as he brought Tetsusaiga down in its most devastating attack, and he knew nothing else when his attack failed to break through the dark of the fires and they were allowed to crash over him, burning through both his body and his soul.

The blast of the attack sent him hurtling backwards. He landed hard against the unforgiving rock split with the dark fires, every bone and muscle in his body feeling the impact and straining against it. He tried to move, tried to lift himself up, refusing to die like this, refusing to lie down and accept a fate written for him by somebody else.

But his body would not respond to his will. It was held by its own weakness just as surely as it was bound by the dark calling of his demonic blood that surged and up and pounded against his restraints, demanding to be let free, to allow the madness to take over. But he wouldn't allow himself to fall to its maddened call. If he gave into it now, it would be more than a battle and more than his life that he would loose. If he let the madness take over, it would be his very soul that was lost.

His hand tightened around the hilt of Tetsusaiga. Even after everything, his trust in the blade forged of his father's fang had not wavered. But then, his strength too had been added to the sword. It had been his own fang that repaired it after it had been shattered by Naraku's incarnate, his strength that had grown to make even the heavy weight seem as nothing, and his actions that had allowed the blade to take on its red tint that could break through any barrier.

Yes, he thought as he looked up to the looming form of So'unga's monster, it was a good sword. It had served him well.

The harsh cackle of So'unga's manic laughter filled his ears, joining in with the hideous chorus of lost souls. The thing lifted its arm in preparedness to strike, and Inuyasha closed his eyes. He wished for the strength to fight against it, but his body was dead weight against his attempts to move. The dark of the fires were taking over his vision, blocking out the light, making him forget that he had ever seen it. His ears strained to hear the voice, the calling that had brought him to this place, the song that played in tones only his heart could hear; but the screeching howls of anguish were all he could hear. He was lost. Spinning in madness and surrounded by horror, the pain clouded his thoughts, took away his memory in its consuming anguish.

It was over. He had failed.

"Get up."

Inuyasha groaned miserably and rolled to clench the new throb in his ribs where he had been kicked. He cracked his eyes open, making a sad attempt to glare at his assailant. "Go fuck yourself, Sesshomaru."

"You are a sorry excuse of wasted flesh," Sesshomaru growled down at the broken hanyou, "unworthy of the gifts you have been given, unfitted for the honor of carrying my father's blood, a shameless, selfish, disgraceful coward."

"Why you…" the hanyou growled lowly as he struggled to pull himself up, but his words were cut off when Sesshomaru reached down and hauled him upwards, pulling him away from the attack that had been released by So'unga.

Finding his footing again on the blackened ground, Sesshomaru pulled the hanyou closer. Face-to-face, with nothing between them, his eyes bore into those of his brother. "I should kill you," he told him in a dangerously low tone.

"Then why don't you?" Inuyasha challenged him. "All my life it was you that has done the most terrible things to me, but you would never finish it, you would never let me have any peace! Do it, Sesshomaru! I was cursed to live by my father. If I have to die, then let it be by the hand of my own brother!"

Growling angrily, Sesshomaru flung the hanyou from his grasp, narrowly avoiding yet another assault brought down by the twisting fury of So'unga's power.

Using Tetsusaiga as a crutch, Inuyasha pulled himself to his feet to face off again against Sesshomaru. So'unga's attacks meant nothing to him anymore. If it was going to end, it was going to end here. "You can't do it, can you?" he barked out in accusation. Pausing to propel himself away from yet another devastating attack the tore away the foundations of the land beneath his feet, Inuyasha allowed his anger to fuel him and give him new strength. He twisted in the air, bringing himself down to land right in front of Sesshomaru. Bringing himself up to his full height, he looked his brother right in the eye. "Tell me why."

"Get out of my way." Shoving the hanyou roughly from his path, Sesshomaru brought Tenseiga down in a sharp lancing of electric power to stave off the coming attack. The impact sent waves of ripping energy through the hoards of the damned, but carried upon Tenseiga's will a light remained that penetrated the darkness; and all creatures touched by its calling were silenced from their screams of torment and cries of anguish forever.

Readying himself to make another strike, Sesshomaru was forced to correct quickly to deflect the blow that had come at him from behind. "Ignorant half-breed," he growled out lowly at the hanyou as he deflected his blow. "I said get out of my way!"

Digging his heels in firmly against the pressure Sesshomaru was forcing onto his blade, Inuyasha stood his ground. "Tell me!" he ground out between his clenching teeth. "You ain't worthy of her if you can't even admit why you're going through all this trouble for her!"

The brothers broke the cross of their blades and leapt back in separate directions to evade yet another strike from the creature.

"Fucking pansy!" Inuyasha taunted across the distance to Sesshomaru as he set his stance in line with the creature again. "Just say it!"

"Idiot hanyou," Sesshomaru answered smoothly as he too squared off against So'unga's creature. "This Sesshomaru will always return for what is his."

Inuyasha smirked. "Just an old dog digging up his bone. Keh, the damn thing's probably withered away to nothing by now from disuse." He laughed at Sesshomaru's growl. "Oh, I'm sorry. The icicle up your ass begs to differ? Well, excuse me, fuckhead. I'll leave you two alone to get better acquainted, if that's even possible."

With a powerful thrust from the ground, Inuyasha launched himself into the air to confront the creature. Its massive body made it slow and cumbersome, and the hanyou easily evaded the angry sweeps of its bulging arm and fierce talons. He landed on the beast's shoulder, stopping only long enough to secure his footing against the blood-soaked char of its withered hide before lifting his blade and directing a blazing attack directly at the creature's head.

The beast screamed in horrid anguish when the blast struck. Its massive body convulsed, shaking so violently that Inuyasha was forced to lift off from his perch or be shaken free. But even as he had begun his descent from the creature, he caught sight of Sesshomaru lifting off from the ground below to continue the assault. The bright gleam of Tenseiga's light cut through the dank covering of darkness in lances of white fire. They collided with the beast, searing away its flesh in putrid wisps of acrid smoke.

Still, the beast would not go down. It lifted its arm, calling So'unga's power to full force, and brought it down upon them.

But from below the winds of the Earth joined with Heaven's light, and against the powers of two worlds, one could not stand. So'unga howled in outrage, redoubling its efforts, launching another attack. But its power could not be sustained. It had been bound by the lock of the three worlds.

Seeing his chance, Sesshomaru moved in on the twisting and writhing form of the possessed creature. His target in sight, he crossed through the winds still tearing at its flesh and the white fire burning away the darkness of its blood. When he had closed the distance, he allowed Tenseiga to fall from his grasp, calling upon his whips of light to sever the final tie of the demon blade from its stolen power.

The acrid smell of acid filled the air and mixed with that of the black blood. The creature howled one final time, and with it, So'unga cried out its fury. But with no arm to hold it aloft, the demon blade of the underworld fell uselessly to the blood-soaked ground below.

Knowing So'unga's hold over the beast had been lost the moment Sesshomaru had severed its arm; Inuyasha took his chance to strike. He lifted his blade against the beast forged of so many tortured souls, and brought it down in a burning blaze of fury. The impact of the scaring winds tore through the beast's body, ripping it like paper shreds, and sending the dark masses of what had been its body to rain down from the darkened sky along with the raining tears of black.

Left winded and still wounded and broken from the battle, Inuyasha slumped against the sturdy support of Tetsusaiga in an attempt to catch his breath. But his eyes remained sharp and focused, watching intently as Sesshomaru approached the blade of the damned. He swallowed thickly when he saw Sesshomaru lean down towards the blade, thinking, knowing, that if Sesshomaru held the power of So'unga in his hands that nothing would be able to stop him; but he was shocked when instead of gathering the sword for his own, Sesshomaru picked up the arm that had been severed from the beast.

Inuyasha blinked in surprise. He hadn't seen it before, hadn't even recognized the scent when it was so corrupted by the black blood. It had been mutilated, deformed and twisted into something unrecognizable when it had been part of the beast, but all along the power So'unga had been using to throw its attacks had been Sesshomaru's.

"Darkness comes in many forms. Do not be fooled by its deceptions. Know your way back." Sesshomaru's words cut through the heat of the dark fires like ice, but no sooner had he said them, than he was gone, disappeared behind a wall of furious flames.

Left alone again, injured and bleeding and surrounded by the dark burn of the Hell fires and its creatures, Inuyasha understood for the first time the meaning of the light. There was no will and no measure of strength that could sustain a soul trapped to such madness and such unbearable suffering. There was only love. And it was love that had cut through the darkness to show him the path ahead, and love that had given him strength when held bound by the madness and the fury of the pits. That it could come in so many different forms, that it could be found in the most unlikely of places, that even in torment so consuming and against odds so overwhelming it could be a truth that transcended all doubts; so strong it was that even in the clutches of darkness it could shed light upon a truth buried for centuries under bindings of pain and betrayal.

He could feel himself growing stronger again in the wake of such knowledge. The wounds inflicted upon his body began to close, the fires in his blood his to control again now that his heart had chosen his path. The madness around him turned away, repelled by the reflection of truth that could be found in the hanyou's eyes, a truth that would be their destruction more surely than the consuming flames of eternity. For in the face of truth, they would see themselves for what they were, something so hideous and so monstrous and so corrupted by the black of the fires that souls that had been their making were no more. And with no soul, there was no life. If they looked upon the truth, they would cease to exist.

The fires were greedy, always wanting more, always needing more pain, more suffering, more dark emotions to sustain itself. But in its greed it was destructive, it took away everything that might have given life to the creatures snared in its grasp. They were dead already, but kept in form and feeling, in this tortuous existence given to them by the dark so that their horror could live on, that their pain and suffering could endure, that the fires would always be given new fuel to their madness.

But they could no longer affect him. He had found his light, had found the path to his own heart. Even surrounded by the dark, his light would shine, his life would not be stripped away by the burning madness. His life. It would be no other's. And he would live it. Because that was what he had fought for, that was what he had always fought for. Only now, he knew that it was not only his battle, it was not only his life that was filled with such terrible struggles, such impossible odds.

They had all fought, had all suffered. Even the creatures trapped here within the madness of their own making, they too had been shunned, feared, hated, repelled, betrayed, forgotten, abused, and lost. But, he knew now, that there was no reason to the madness, no blame to place for the blood and the war. Such things were inevitable. It was merely how you faced the truth that defined who you really were.

Who he was, something that he had fought for so long to change, but which was the only thing that gave him strength now, the only thing that ever would. He was Inuyasha. He was hanyou. He was the one that had fought for years to see that a power never meant for the world never fall into the hands of the corrupt. He was a man that had known love, and that had in turn known loss so great it had broken his heart. But still he had lived on, because it was his life, and because he could never stop fighting when he knew that there were still people who needed him, who needed his strength when they couldn't find their own. And from thos same people, from the friends and family that had shaped his life into what it was today, he was drawing strength now.

And it was their strength that he relied upon the most when he came face to face with the image of the one that for so long had plagued his dreams and his nightmares. She stood before him, a ghost of the past risen from out of the dark fires of her torment. She, who bore the face of an angel, had been stripped of the soul of purity and light that he had fallen in love with so long ago.

But now there was no love shining in her eyes, there was none of the softness and gentle purity that had made her. Now, there was only the dark that had taken over, a wicked gleam of hatred, of repulsion, and of the knowledge that she had finally been returned to the dark fires of her making. It was her, the golem that had walked the lands in the guise of his beloved, feeding off of her memories of pain and betrayal, being granted life by that she would steal from the passing of those in the world of light beyond.

He understood now what she was. The veil had been lifted from his eyes, and even though she still appeared before him in the image of his once love, he could see through the guise that created her form, see through the image of beauty to the darkness beyond.

For she was the fires. She was the darkness. Born of dark magic, of the calling of the wicked; she had come from these horrid depths, stolen the identity and the memories bound within Kagome's soul of her predecessor, and clawed its way from the dark fires to find existence on the mortal plane. But its resurrection had been the atrocity that had condemned Kikyo's soul, that had ripped her from the heavens of her final rest, that had locked her in this prison of unrelenting torment.

No more. He would not stand by any longer and allow this to happen. He would not leave this place until he had freed the soul of the so wrongfully bound to its madness. His hands tightened against the hilt of his sword and he lifted the blade.

She watched him, her dark eyes intense with their hatred, but she did not move, did not make any motion to stop what was coming. "You can not kill me," she told him, her voice a dark whisper carried upon the screams of the fire. She spread her arms, beckoning him to her embrace. "We were meant to be together this way, Inuyasha. This is our destiny. Come with me. Stay with me. We will have our eternity together."

"You're right," Inuyasha replied slowly. The tip of his blade began to sag downwards, breaking away from his intent to strike. "I can't kill you." His eyes were locked onto hers, the piercing gold burning through the endless night like the breaking of the dawn. "I can't…" His gaze lowered, stopping on the run of the fang clutched in his hands. His grip tightened fiercely, his hands burning with the strength that surged through his body and filling the blade with his crimson fury. He growled, the feral sound his battle cry, his heritage, his blood. His eyes snapped up to meet again with the depthless blackness of hers. "…But she can!"

In one massive sweep of his blade, Inuyasha cleared a blazing path through the dark fires. The creatures caught in the fury screamed out, their voice rising in a deafening wail. But still his might would not be stopped. It crashed against the brightness of the light sealed within the gloom, a tidal wave of crimson breaking against a shoreline.

The seal of the barrier cracked, brilliant waves of light erupting in streaks of glory to color the darkness of the pits. The creatures roared, blinded by the light their eyes could not see. But above their voices there was the breaking of crystal glass, a light chiming of bells, and the falling of summer rains. It washed out from the barrier in a gentle wave, a spreading of purity that calmed the dark fires like water. The screams died away, leaving only a hushed whisper that hummed through the waves of light that spoke of love.

"Inuyasha."

The voice was like a choir of angels, its call so sweet that even the sound could fill his body with its soothing caress of warmth that tamed the raging of the dark fires. He turned to it, the pull overwhelming in its beauteous melody.

"No!" The frantic cry was hardly heard over the sweet promise of the light. "You can not leave me, Inuyasha! You can not betray me again!"

He stopped and turned back, facing the dark fires once more. "You have betrayed yourself," he told the golem. "You have fallen victim to your own ploy. You, of the darkness, could never have been Kikyo. She lives on. She always will." He paused and looked back to the light. He knew it had been her voice that had called him, that had spoken to his heart. "And one day, we'll be together again, Kikyo."

He could feel the light reaching out to him; feel its soothing caress as it brushed across his skin like a gentle breeze. How he had longed to feel her touch, to know her love again as it had been before they were ripped from each others arms. He was so overjoyed he could wept.

But he wouldn't. Because now was not his time. _One day,_ he thought as he turned away from the gentle caress of the light. He pushed away from the ground, taking himself ever further from his light, his love. He could hear the screams of the dark one that had been the façade to lead him here, but they meant nothing. He had known her presence in the light. He knew that her spirit still awaited his to join her. But he knew that she would wait, and he knew that her love was still with him.

One day he would be able to be with her again. One day, he would be able to fall into her arms, to know her love as he never could in his life. Perhaps then he would shed his tears. Perhaps then she would shed hers as well.

Tears of the Reunited.

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Alright, before I go into my rather extended and very exciting Author's note, I have to say…That chapter just wouldn't end! It was like the endless chapter of frustration and annoyance! But, now that it's done, it has brought me within two chapters of the end of this story. Isn't that great?

Well, the good news doesn't just end there. LadyShieru, a most talented and wonderful artist, has decided to do a Doujin for this fic. Her drawings are exquisite, and her depictions of the characters is really amazing. I would recommend to any of you who have been reading this fic, or who simply love some good Inuyasha Fanart to check it out. And please let her know that you have her support by leaving her a review as you would me. She has been working very hard at producing her wonderful drawings to support this story, and I can't express my thanks to her enough. So, hopefully the other fans of this story will be able to speak for me.

Links to Chapter 1 (pages 1-4) will also be available on my FFN profile page.

/deviation/57368522/?qo4&qby:ladyshieru&qhsort:time+-in:scraps

/deviation/57521127/?qo3&qby:ladyshieru&qhsort:time+-in:scraps

/deviation/57890251/?qo1&qby:ladyshieru&qhsort:time+-in:scraps

/deviation/58038799/?qby:ladyshieru&qhsort:time+-in:scraps

And lastly, I have to insert a shameless plug ;P I have received many requests over the course of this story to do a Toga/Kagome pairing in a fic, and I have finally come across an idea that I have had some success with in writing. The story is called Temporal Twilight, and is available on Fanfiction Net. So, please give it a read and tell me what you think.

Well, I guess that is all for now. Thanks everyone for your patience with me in the long delay of this story. I know it has been a while in the coming, but I have been inspired in many other stories lately and I just can't let the idea evaporate into the either without letting them be enjoyed as well :) But Shadow always has something up her sleeve, ne? Kukukukuku…and now I must be off. So many characters to torture, so very little time.

Until next time.

Shadow


	35. 35: Tears of the Fallen

Tears of the Soul

Tears of the Fallen

_Know your way back._

It would have been so easy to simply step into the light and be carried into the arms of his beloved for all of eternity, to have the pains of his life washed away by her gentle hand. But he couldn't. Not anymore. He was still needed. By his friends and his…family. For so long he had never imagined himself to be able to use that word, but now he could. He could. He had a family, a place where he belonged, and people who he would fight for, live for, and die for.

The way through the darkness of the fiery pits was so clear, because the light that showed him the path was leading him home.

_Home…_

It was time to leave behind all the darkness, the crying souls and the wails of anguish, suffering, and regret. It was time to start over, to begin the battles anew; only this time, he knew what he was fighting for. There was no pretense of selfish gain or delusions of grandeur, there was simply the knowledge that no matter what the future may bring, they would all face it together.

Ahead, Inuyasha began to make out a figure standing in the midst of the dark scenery. He stood on a rise of broken rock, the brilliant white and crimson red of his garments blinding in the cast of darkness spawned in the pits, and around him the creatures of black cowered back from the gleaming blade strapped to his hip that even in the black of the netherworld could shine like a star in the heavens.

Bringing himself closer, Inuyasha stopped well back from Sesshomaru. "You get lost or something?" he asked gruffly. When Sesshomaru didn't respond, only continued staring out across the vast stretch of dark fires, Inuyasha huffed and crossed his arms stiffly over his chest. "Well, don't expect me to go holding your hand," he said with a disgusted glare at Sesshomaru's newly replaced left arm. "Who knows where that thing's been."

He was about to push off from the ground to continue his way to the exit when Sesshomaru's voice made him pause and turn back.

"He died for you."

Inuyasha went rigid at the accusation. He had heard it before, been accused of being responsible for his own father's death; but hearing it from his own brother always stung the worst. "It ain't my fault," he bit out angrily. "He made his choice."

"He died for you," Sesshomaru said again a he slowly turned to face Inuyasha, "so that you could die for her."

His features drawing tight in confusion, Inuyasha asked, "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Are you really so dense, hanyou?" Sesshomaru sneered. "Can you not even remember what started the feud?"

"What started the…?" Inuyasha shook his head sharply. "Keh! All I remember is you showing up all of a sudden and trying to turn me into your own personal scratching post before you threw me into those Kami forsaken mines and left me there to rot!" The hard set of his angry features shifted suddenly as his lips parted into a smug grin. "But I sure showed you, didn't I? Just like I did when I took that arm of yours." His hand fell to his side and his fingers slipped around Tetsusaiga's hilt. "And don't you be forgetting it either! You step out of line even a little with Kagome, and I promise you you'll be missing more than just an arm by the time I'm done with you!"

Before he could even blink, let alone think of trying to move, Inuyasha was captured by Sesshomaru. With his sword arm twisted painfully behind his back and his neck caught by the razor edges of the other's claws, he knew if he moved he would die.

"I despised you and everything you represented." Sesshomaru's voice was colder than ice and sharper than any blade; and Inuyasha had no way to defend himself against the cutting blows. "I hated that to even look at you I would be reminded of everything that was stolen from me. I wanted you dead. But more than that, I wanted to see you suffer." His hand tightened, his claws digging so deeply into the hanyou's neck that they grazed the arteries on either side. "My father gave his life for you. My lands were thrown into chaos because my birthright was entrusted to you. Thousands died just for you to live. And surrounded by war and blood and death, the only thing that ever made my nights brighter, you took from me as well."

Sesshomaru growled deeply before he abruptly dropped his hold on Inuyasha and took a step back from him. "Once I believed that I could not kill you because I had been trapped by the cursed hands of fate to live out the future that She had known. I know now that the future is not made despite our choices, but because of them."

"Keh!" Inuyasha rasped as he clutched the puncture wounds in his neck. "You needed to test me out as a pin cushion to say that? I thought we already got past the whole you can't kill me thing!"

"Idiot hanyou," Sesshomaru sneered. "It is not that I can not kill you. It is that I will not." Turning, Sesshomaru began walking away.

"Yeah, whatever!" Inuyasha barked in response. "You keep telling yourself that!" Sesshomaru stopped abruptly, and Inuyasha tensed in ready. He wouldn't get caught off-guard this time.

But Sesshomaru didn't make a move. "No, Inuyasha" he said without turning back. "I am saying it to you because I would have you know."

Lifting his hand from his side, he held up his blood-covered claws and allowed them to be surrounded by the crimson fires of his spirit. The blaze burned so hotly that Inuyasha could swear he could feel the heat even in the burn of Hell's fire.

i_No!/i_ Frantically his hands snapped up to grip at his neck. He could feel it there, the blaze building just beneath the surface, tearing through him where Sesshomaru's claws had made their mark.

He gasped for breath, fighting against the dark fire as he had always had to fight against the rage of his hanyou blood. But there was nothing he could do to stop it from spreading. It coursed through his veins in a raw surge of furious might, but even in the burn of the fires Inuyasha felt no pain. It was strength and power, but somehow, even as the crimson burn filled him, it brought him no pain. It moved through him as though it had a will of its own, and in the pulse of power and the wake of the fires, he began to feel something else entirely.

"What…what did you do to me?" he chocked out in confusion.

"That you would give your life for her," Sesshomaru replied, "May it be for your sister. Do not make me regret my decision."

In a blur of movement, Sesshomaru left Inuyasha behind. The burn of crimson fires dancing through him slowly calmed, the roar being dulled to nothing more than a subtle pulse that seemed to have settled itself into his very bones. Staring blankly after his brother in confusion, Inuyasha rubbed his hand absently over his neck, only to find that the wounds given to him by Sesshomaru's claws had already been sealed, closed over in the wake of the demon fires.

"What the…?" he asked in stunned disbelief as he pulled his hand back to stare at it incredulously. If he didn't know any better…and he did…or at least, he thought he did…he would have sworn that whatever Sesshomaru had done to him had actually made him stronger. And not only that, but it had been Sesshomaru that had healed the wounds that he had inflicted.

_May it be for your sister._

"What the fuck?" Getting nowhere in the way of figuring out what Sesshomaru had done or why, Inuyasha snapped his attention up to where the other had gone. "Hey!" He called out as he pushed off from the ground to follow. "Get back here!"

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Scanning over the bars of razor fangs that blocked the exit, Sesshomaru smirked wickedly to himself as he drew his blade. Tokijin surged in his hand, drawing ever more power from the dark fires surrounding him. Using its dark will and infusing it with his own, Sesshomaru unleashed his attack. It broke through the suffocating darkness with furious lances of turbulent power, and when it impacted against the fangs barring the passage out the shuddering crack that reverberated through the air was met with a booming howl of fury as the Inu was forced to recoil from the assault.

Making use of his speed before the other could regain himself, Sesshomaru took the distance between himself and the portal. After having spent so long in the endless black of the Pits of Despair, he emerged on the other side and was greeted with a world of color and life…as well as the massive form of an Inu that was crouched for attack and snarling out his displeasure.

"Your guard was lax," he intoned dryly as he sheathed his blade and turned away from his father.

Toga, however, wasn't about to take such an assault lying down…well, not now that he was actually standing. He shifted, bringing one of his massive paws out in a sweep of deadly claws. But Sesshomaru was well ready for the assault and evaded it easily.

At the smug look that crossed the boy's features as he turned and set himself to face him again, Toga growled lowly. _**"You press your luck, boy."**_

"I think not," Sesshomaru returned, his voice cold and even in its detached arrogance. "Luck is for those too weak to make their own way. I, however, have no need of such."

With an elaborate huff, Toga lifted his snout at the boy's arrogance and glared down at him. _**"Try coming up here and saying that to me." **_He smirked, but in his true form it seemed more of a sneer as his lips lifted over his fangs.

For Sesshomaru though, the sight presented to him by his father was exceedingly pleasing. The old dog had lost a fang from his attack earlier, and the prominent K-9 on the right side was cracked and weakened. Hiding his pleasure behind the solid set of his features, he waved a hand in dismissal. "Unnecessary," he said stonily.

The high keen of a blade being drawn, however, caused a wicked smirk to break through Sesshomaru's mask of nonchalance. Toga had heard it too, but he would not remove his sights from Sesshomaru. The boy was entirely too unpredictable after so much time, and he wouldn't allow himself to be caught in his son's games.

"**Inuyasha…"** he growled in warning.

But though Inuyasha could hear the deep rumbles being released by the Inu, he couldn't understand him. "What the hell is going on here?" he barked out as he set his grip firmly on his blade and dropped his stance.

Sesshomaru's smirk grew when he saw the hanyou's stance had not been set against him, but against his father. "It seems you are outnumbered this time, old man," he told him as he flexed his claws aggressively before him. "Shall we see if you guard your belly as well as you were guarding that portal?"

Snapping his jaw at Sesshomaru, Toga released a low rumble of amusement when he finally caught on to the game. Shifting abruptly, he pulled his tail around and swept Inuyasha from his feet. Before he could correct himself, Toga had him trapped between his forepaws with his snout keeping the struggling hanyou from rising.

"H…Hey!" Inuyasha protested loudly. "Get off of me you big mutt!"

Again the Inu's low rumbles filled the air, and then, to Inuyasha's extreme displeasure, he swept his tongue out and slaved him with drool from head to foot. Inuyasha froze, his complete shock slowly being steeled over by absolute outrage. Tightening his grip on his blade, he rolled out from under the Inu's snout and stabbed the length of it into the other's paw.

Toga yelped in surprise, pulling back from Inuyasha enough to give the hanyou room to free himself from the trappings of his claws. He brought his paw up to his mouth and began licking it lazily, all the while releasing deep rumbles of amusement as he watched the sodden hanyou flip himself to his feet and pull back to stand by Sesshomaru.

"He's lost his fucking mind!" Inuyasha roared furiously as he reset his guarded stance.

"No, you ignorant half-breed," Sesshomaru corrected as he too dropped his stance and began scanning over the Inu's form for a lapse in his guard. "He is posturing. Stay away from his paws and his fangs or you will find yourself getting another bath." He tilted his nose. "On second thought," he added with a slight lifting of his lip. "You could probably use one."

Before Inuyasha was given a chance to reply, Sesshomaru had taken to his mark. He sped at the single foreleg keeping the Inu upright, intending on slamming into it with his shoulder to tip his father off-balance. Toga, however, had been prepared, and he quickly dropped his raised paw in an attempt to catch Sesshomaru beneath its weight. But Sesshomaru was too fast, and he managed to pull away from the heavy fall of his father's paw, changing his tactics in mid-strike and propelling himself upwards. He was forced to pull away from his intended target when his path was blocked with a massive bar of razor fangs, but Sesshomaru took a quick turn and found his footing on the Inu's shoulder before pushing off again, narrowly missing the snap of the other's fangs to take hold of his ear and rip through it mercilessly with his claws.

Toga growled deeply, and shook his head in a sharp jerk to dislodge the pup's claws from him. Righting himself in the air, Sesshomaru braced for the landing. But before his feet could touch down on the ground, Toga lunged forward, his head lowered and his jaw parted in an attempt to snag Sesshomaru from the air.

A heavy impact against the side of his snout drew him off-target, and Toga was forced to widen his stance else he loose his footing. When he looked back to the boys, his eyes were gleaming with mischief. He dropped his head low, keeping them both in line with his crimson sights, and waited.

"So," Inuyasha asked gruffly as he set down beside Sesshomaru. His sword had been re-sheathed, and he cracked his knuckles to work out the strain from his last hit. "What happens when he goes belly-up?"

Sparing a glance over at the hanyou, Sesshomaru lifted his shoulders in a passive shrug. "There is only one way to find out."

TTTTTTTTTT

"Miss Kagome?"

"Huh?" Pulled away from her concentration on…well…she wasn't exactly sure what it was that she was sensing, but it was weird enough for her to be focusing intently on it, Kagome turned to the young girl. "What is it Rin?"

"Rin can't sleep," she told her quietly. Her eyes flashed briefly to the trees surrounding the camp in the direction of the disturbance, and Kagome knew instantly why the girl was so unsettled.

"It's alright, Rin," she soothed the girl. "They're just…errr…playing." That sounded lame even to her. So, in an attempt to cover her lacking creativity, Kagome reached out and drew the girl into her lap. "How about you sit with me for a bit?" she asked sweetly. "Tell me what you've been up to since last time we were together."

Happy for the distraction fro the unrest of her senses, Rin dove into story after story of her adventures with her Sesshomaru-sama and her master Jaken. The girl's enthusiasm and radiant joy as she told her stories was catching, and in no time Kagome was laughing and giggling along with her as she was told of how Jaken was teaching the girl to use a staff. Of course, by 'teaching' she meant that she had stolen the toad's staff when he wasn't looking and began using the little imp as target practice for her exercises; but all and all the girl's learning was coming along well, and she had even come so far that Sesshomaru had taken to correcting her aim when she had only charred the toad's beak instead of his rump.

So caught up in the girl's happy chatter, Kagome was startled when a sudden shiver of energy passed down the length of her spine. But when Rin had asked her what had happened, Kagome only shook her head and smiled, urging the girl to continue on with her story.

It seemed to her, that whatever game the boys were playing, Toga had just come up on top.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Well that worked real fucking well," Inuyasha growled as he struggled against the massive paw pinning him to the ground. He managed to twist himself around enough so that he could see Sesshomaru where he too was trapped between the bars of his father's claws and pinned under the massive weight of the Inu. "Is he gonna let us up, or do I have to stick him with my sword again?"

Sesshomaru grunted in response when the weight pressing against his chest was increased ten-fold. Still, he was smirking. "Do whatever you want, half-breed. I have what I wanted."

Straining against the incredible weight, Inuyasha managed to choke out his words. "What do you want with that fang anyways?"

Sesshomaru clutched his hand tighter around the fang he had taken from his father. The move to take it had gotten him pinned, but it wasn't like he wasn't used to it. This was his game, after all. And one day, he would get the old dog on his back. But until then… "Rin has become competent in the use of staves. Her training would be more proficient should she have one more suited to her growing body."

"What?" Inuyasha asked with a strained bark of laughter. "You ain't big enough to have one made of your own fangs?"

"Watch your tongue, half-breed," Sesshomaru warned in a low growl tainted with the building energy snapping around him. Just a little more and he could shift his form and knock the arrogant dog off of him.

But Toga was doing more than holding him with his weight, he was binding his strength as well by allowing the strong flow of his own energies to course through the boys he was holding pinned. He rumbled in amusement at the sharp spikes of focus tearing through Sesshomaru. _**"Not yet, my boy," **_he told him with a pompous snap of his jaw. The motion, however, made him all too aware of his missing teeth. He swept his tongue out in a slow draw to run along the gap. _** "It was a lucky shot," **_he growled in aggravation.

"Luck had nothing to do with it," Sesshomaru replied. He shifted, bracing his legs to gain more leverage, but again he was pressed firmly back against the ground, the full weight of the massive Inu bearing down on him as he stretched up and lifted his head. Knowing what was coming, Sesshomaru turned quickly to Inuyasha. "Guard your ears, hanyou, lest you wish to be without them."

TTTTTTTTTT

"What was that?"

On her feet in seconds with her weapon in her hand even after having been woken from a sound sleep by the piercing howl that cut through the soft tranquility of the night, Sango stood firmly in tensed ready.

But Kagome only giggled softly at the Taijiya's jumpiness. She lifted the young girl from her lap and stood slowly. "Relax, Sango. It's just Toga telling everyone that he won."

"Won? Forgive me, Lady Kagome, but did I miss something?"

Turning to the disheveled monk that was just rising from his…somewhat induced…slumber, Kagome shook her head. "No, Miroku. It's nothing to worry about." She paused to take in the rather disbelieving looks from both the Taijiya and the monk. "Really," she added with emphasis. "Just dogs being…well, dogs." A small tug against her hand had Kagome looking down to Rin.

"Does this mean hat Lord Sesshomaru will be returning now, Miss Kagome?"

"See for yourself."

Pointing towards the edge of camp, Kagome turned everyone's attention to the sphere of light that was breaking through the trees. The wave of energy flowing through her had her smiling in pure joy even as she sighed out her relief. They had come back. All of them. Walking forwards to meet them, she paused in uncertainty when the last of Toga's flashing powers pulled away to leave the three of them standing before her.

They. Her Inus. He family. A father, a brother, and a…

"Lord Sesshomaru!"

Rin's excited and joyful voice broke Kagome's sight away from the three standing before her. She looked back just in time to see little Rin zip by her, scampering her way towards Sesshomaru at a speed that seemed impossible for her little legs. She didn't slow when she drew closer to him, but rather continued full-tilt until she was only a foot away before planting her feet firmly in the ground, stopping so abruptly that her arms started pinwheeling at her sides to keep her balance. Still, the radiant smile never left her lips, and the joy in her eyes made them sparkle with crystal light as she lifted them to her beloved Lord.

"Rin," Sesshomaru addressed the girl, but though seemingly stern, his voice was soft, warm with affection. "Have you been behaving for Kagome?"

"Oh, yes, Lord Sesshomaru," the girl replied with an enthused bobbing of her head. "Rin has been very good for Miss Kagome." She clasped her hands together in front of her, lowering her head slightly to hide a faint blush surfacing on her cherub cheeks as she watched her feet scuffing in the ground beneath her. "Rin likes Miss Kagome very much."

"As you should, Rin." Sesshomaru lifted his hand to set it lightly atop the girls head. It was curious how fond she was of a gesture that had begun not as a show of affection, but as a display of dominance. Still, his little Rin could make anything joyful.

"My, my, where have you been hiding this little angel, Sesshomaru?"

The deep, laughing voice, turned little Rin's attention to the side of Sesshomaru. Her first time seeing the new man, as she had been so focused on her joy for her Lord's return, she blinked owlishly when she finally made out his features. It was him. The nice man from the world of white. She would always know him. He was the one that had reunited her with her Sesshomaru-sama. He was smiling at her, the warm, happy smile that she had seen of him before.

Kneeling down so that he was closer to her height, he said, "I am very pleased to meet you, little one."

And Rin smiled, because she was happy too. "Rin is very pleased to meet you again, Lord Toga."

Sesshomaru looked down at his young ward, confusion drawing faint lines between his brows. His focus quickly shifted to his father, but the old dog was smiling, an old, knowing smile that he was far too familiar with.

A faint, barely audible growl reached Inuyasha's ears, and he looked sideways at Sesshomaru. But, shaking his head to clear it of those things unnecessary, he looked away from the little scene, his focus landing on Kagome. It took her a moment, but eventually she looked away from the scene that had captured her attention and lifted her eyes to his. She was smiling, but he could see the sorrow in her eyes. He had known her far too long and had hurt her far too many times to mistake that look. She would be happy for everyone, give them all her smiles and her comfort, but all the while she would hold onto her pain. And he knew that again he had been the one to cause it.

But he would see her happy. And by the longing in her eyes as she had looked to Sesshomaru when they first arrived, he understood that she could be, just that it could never be him to give it to her. Yes, he understood. And he would wish her well. Just…not yet.

His lips twisted into a cocky, lopsided grin. "So you just gonna stand there gapping, or do I not get a welcome back to my own camp?"

Silence. Dead silence broken only by a faint breeze floating through the clearing.

Toga cleared his throat. "And that, dear little one," he said to Rin, "is our cue to leave." Reaching forward, he gathered the girl up, lifting her to sit on his shoulder. He released a low chuckle at the delighted squees and giggles she made and looked to Sesshomaru. "This one must be a handful. However do you keep her this giddy all the time?"

Sesshomaru smirked. "Living playthings."

Toga cocked an eyebrow before taking a short scenting of the girl. Her lively, natural scent tingled with faint traces of electricity due to her miko blood, but there was something else, something not hers that had blended so inconspicuously with the lingering scents of the forest, the streams, and the soils, that he hadn't caught it right away. When he did though, he chuckled again, but this time deeply, wickedly. "Nice touch, my boy. Soon she'll be ready to take on some real game."

"Hn," Sesshomaru replied noncommittally. "Perhaps you should see her in play before you decide whether to partake in her games."

"Play?" Rin perked up on Toga's shoulder and swiveled around to look at Sesshomaru. "You mean Rin doesn't have to go to sleep yet?" she asked excitedly.

"For tonight, I shall make an exception," Sesshomaru told her. "But you will wake Jaken to supervise your activities."

"Yes, of course, Lord Sesshomaru!"

In her excitement, Rin missed the wicked gleam that had stolen across the golden surfaces of Sesshomaru's eyes. Toga, however, did not, and as he turned and began walking towards the camp, his smirk was just as wicked. Children were such a blessing. They always gave life that little bit of excitement. Not to mention that little bit of added pain. Luckily, it seemed that there was a small imp-type youkai that was about to become the receiver of that pain.

As Toga passed by Kagome, he set his hand on her shoulder briefly and gave her a supportive smile before continuing on. Sesshomaru stopped as well, but rather than reaching out to touch her, he lay his left arm across his chest and inclined his head to her in a gesture of apology and gratitude.

Kagome's smile was shaky, as was her hand as she reached out to him. But her soft expression of awe flooded him with loving warmth, visible only in the hidden depths of his golden eyes, and he reached his hand forwards to meet with hers. Their fingers just barely touched, a caress so soft and so gentle it was hardly a touch at all, but it was filled with more meaning than such simple things could convey.

"Keh! Get a room already! Some of us don't want to see that crap!"

Jerked back into reality, Kagome pulled her hand from Sesshomaru's. She was blushing when she turned her focus to Inuyasha. "I'm sorry," she whispered meekly.

"I am not," Sesshomaru said from her side. He turned to face Inuyasha, but all the softness he had expressed as he looked upon his mate was stripped away, buried beneath hard layers of impenetrable ice. "Your timing, as always, little brother, leaves something to be desired. You would do well to see it remedied before this Sesshomaru does, as you say, 'get a room'."

Kagome, had she not been completely mortified, would have scolded him for being such a hentai. She was however, so she had to settle for the small gratification that Inuyasha, apparently, had no comeback to his brother's remark and had settled for a noncommittal huff and an angry 'Keh!' To which she was exceedingly grateful.

When Sesshomaru turned to leave, there was a part of Kagome that yearned to call him back, to have someone with her. But she knew she could not. She knew that this conversation was for her and Inuyasha alone. That he had come back, he had obviously confronted his demons. Now, it was time for her to confront hers.

"How…how are you?" she asked the hanyou hesitantly.

Inuyasha shrugged. "A little singed." His nose crinkled slightly in distaste. "And a little soggy. But no worse for the wear. You?"

"I'm…good."

He stepped closer, bending slightly to catch her downcast eyes. "You're lying."

She bit her lip and nodded. But, forcing a thin smile, she looked up to him. "Can we go somewhere to talk?" Gesturing vaguely around her, she added, "The trees have ears."

Inuyasha cocked his head slightly, regarding the young priestess with eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Whatever," he finally said, brushing off her strange behavior and turning to offer her his back. "Get on."

She took to her travel arrangements easily, and Inuyasha looked back over his shoulder once he felt her weight settle against him. "You ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered slowly, her thoughts distant and distracted in the knowledge of what was to come.

Inuyasha pushed off from the ground, taking them both in a soaring leap until he gained the heights of the trees. Her silence as he maneuvered through the canopy of branches and leaves was unsettling, and the way she held onto him, hugging her body close to his as though she feared he would slip away from her was truly bothering.

Finally, not being able to take her sullenness, he twisted his head to look at her. "What's your problem, girl?" he snapped irritably. "You're acting like someone died."

Her grip on him tightened, becoming so stiff that the muscles of her arms trembled slightly against the strain. She buried her face against his shoulder. "I'm just glad to have you with me again," she whispered in a trembling voice.

She was lying. He knew it, but he didn't say anything about it. He turned his attention back to where they were going, focusing on his footholds and the movements of his body to try and distract him from the soft weight of hers and the heaviness he had heard in her voice.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Are you sure they can't hear us?"

"How many times do I got to tell you, you stupid girl; they can't hear us!"

"But you're sure?"

Inuyasha growled and crossed his arms stiffly over his chest, glaring angrily at the girl perched in the tree with him. "'Course I'm sure!" he barked in annoyance. "They ain't moved from the camp, and unless they got mind reading abilities, they can't hear us!"

"Alright," Kagome said slowly as she lowered herself to sit on the branch, draping her legs over the side. "If you're sure."

He watched her intently. She was acting way too strange for him. "What's all this about anyways? What you got to say that they can't hear?"

"Not they," Kagome corrected, he voice small and tired. "Him."

Leaning in closer in curiosity, Inuyasha asked, "Who?"

But she refused to look at him as she replied, "Sesshomaru."

Inuyasha pulled back slightly, blinking in shock and confusion. "You know, I may not be an expert or anything, but I'm pretty sure that secrets are bad for a relationship."

Kagome made an attempt to laugh at the fact that Inuyasha, of all people, was giving her relationship advice; but it was forced, sad, and devoid of mirth. "We all have our secrets," she sighed. "We keep them because we believe that in doing so we are protecting ourselves and the people we love."

"I don't like the sound of this. What's going on, Kagome?"

She finally looked at him, her eyes muted with the pain of her inner struggle, deep cobalt in the shadows of the night. "I need you to promise something, Inuyasha."

"No way!" he said with a sharp shake of his head. "I ain't promising nothing till I know what's going on!"

"But you have to!" Kagome cried. He had to give her this, had to make this promise. She knew what had to be done, finally understood what Toga had been telling her even when he did not say it in words. She knew what her destiny was, and what her future held. She knew, and she knew she could not do it alone. Pulling back on her emotional outburst, she took a deep breath and said more calmly, "I can't do this by myself."

"Can't do what?"

"Defeat Naraku."

"Keh!" Inuyasha huffed loudly. "I think all that time travel fucked with your mind! I'm the one that's going to defeat Naraku!"

Kagome shook her head slowly. "No. It will be me. I am the only one that can purify the Shikon. And until that is done, Naraku can not be destroyed." She stopped and reached out to take Inuyasha's hand. He almost pulled back from her, but her soft touch made him relent. "That's why I need you to promise me, Inuyasha. I need you to promise me that whatever happens, you will do what must be done. You will strike when I say that it is time."

"I don't know…"

"You must!" Kagome's grip on his hand tightened desperately. "Promise me, Inuyasha!"

"Alright, alright!" he growled as he tugged his hand away from hers. "I promise, okay?" Leveling her with a rare serious look though, he finished, "But only if you tell me why you're asking me this and not Him."

Drawing in a sharp breath, Kagome quickly looked away from him. Inuyasha sniffed haughtily. "Well, I ain't gonna do it unless you tell me."

"He can't." Her small, trembling voice broke with a soft sob.

Any other time, Inuyasha would have used this glorious opportunity to rub his ego by taunting her with the fact that it was because his brother was a fucking pansy and he didn't have the balls to do something like take down Naraku; but seeing Kagome so distressed over it made him rethink the idea, no matter how tempting it was.

Instead, he asked her, "Why?"

But she shook her head slowly, her eyes drawing closed in a tired draw. "Because he…"

"He loves you." It really didn't take a genius to figure it out. He had seen the way Sesshomaru had looked at her, knew that had it not been for her he would never have crossed into the black of the pits to come to his aid. And he had already caught his brother's scent on her, knew that she had bonded with Sesshomaru in a way that was the closest to sacred that youkai could ever come. She was His, they had both admitted it, and Inuyasha knew that Kagome would never take such a commitment lightly, and that neither would Sesshomaru. The bastard may be a frigid asshole, but he was proud, too proud to dishonor himself by failing her in any way.

Drawing in a shaky breath, Kagome looked back up to Inuyasha. She could form no words in response, so she simply nodded. Yes, she knew just as well how Sesshomaru felt for her, and she knew that she felt the same way about him. But this was not about love, this was about destiny. It pained her to keep this from him, knowing how much it would hurt him; but she could think of no other way. She had resigned herself to what was coming, but that didn't make it any easier. If he knew, he would try to stop her, and she couldn't allow that.

A silent tear slipped down her face, and Inuyasha couldn't bare the sight of her anguish. But more than that, he couldn't bare the thought that she would think so little of him to believe that he didn't feel for her as well. She would spare Sesshomaru from whatever she had planned in the name of love, but she would seek to force his hand.

"Keh! What a load of shit!" Inuyasha was livid. He may not have ever said so, may not have ever shown it, would never have been able to find the words, but he knew what he felt for Kagome was real. He had never had a friend, never trusted anyone so completely, never understood that it was possible to love someone without ever really loving them. But he did her. And she, she was telling him that that meant nothing to her. "If he really loved you, you wouldn't be afraid to let him in on whatever you're planning! You wouldn't be coming to me, making me promise something like this, if you really loved him!"

"No!" Kagome shouted in denial. She was hugging herself, her arms wrapped around her shaking body.

Why did this have to be so hard? Why couldn't he just trust her? Why did every time he protested her words she found herself thinking that perhaps she had been wrong, that she didn't really know as much as she thought she did?

But no. She knew. She knew what had to be done. And he…She had been with him at the end, had already suffered the unimaginable pain of loosing him. It seemed only right that it would be Inuyasha that would do this for her now.

"That's not it, Inuyasha. I came to you because you're my best friend, because we've been through everything together, good and bad. I know you, Inuyasha. I know what you're capable of. I know what your heart has suffered, and how strong it has been for you to still be here now. But he…" Her words caught on a strained sob. She gasped for her breath, never seeming to draw in enough of the cool night air. "If I asked him," she whispered quietly, "if I made him promise me this, I would be forcing him to deny his heart, to turn it cold again. And if that happens, then he will never be able to call me back."

"Call you back?" Inuyasha asked in confusion. "Where are you going?"

"He's waiting for me there," she replied distantly, her eyes drifting to take in the view of the night sky. It seemed so long since she had looked upon those stars, lost herself to the comfort they offered in their steady presence. She wished she could do so now, wished that she could find some solace from the chaos of her life in the sparks of light that had always watched over her. But she couldn't. She couldn't because she knew somewhere up there, somewhere beyond what she could see in this realm, that he was waiting for her to come to him, to tell him that it was all over, that all the struggles and sacrifices to bring them all to this point in time had not been in vain.

Inuyasha growled in frustration. He was tired of her cryptic remarks, tired of her heavy sullenness, tired of not understanding. How could he make this better if she wouldn't tell him? How could he do something for her if he didn't know what she wanted from him? He wanted to help her, would have done anything to see her smiles return; but he didn't understand.

Reaching out, Inuyasha caught Kagome' shoulder and forced her to turn to him. "You're not making any sense!" he told her gruffly, leaning in so close their noses were almost touching. "Who's waiting? Where?"

Kagome bit her trembling lower lip as she looked into his amber eyes. She could see his confusion, his anger, but it was his concern that made this so unbearable. "Toga," she finally replied. "He's waiting for me, just like he was waiting for Rin."

Inuyasha pulled back slightly as he processed her words. "Rin? The little girl?" Kagome nodded in affirmation, but Inuyasha was still far from understanding. "Why would he be waiting for her?"

"To show her the way home."

"Show her the way…" Inuyasha's eyes suddenly drew wide in understanding. Home, something he had been without for so long, something that he finally believed he had found with the family he had gone so long without. The girl, she had been denied these things too. It had been Sesshomaru that had given these things to her. But it had been unintentional, Inuyasha knew this. Because Sesshomaru would never have taken the girl into his care unless he thought he owed it to her. He had given her a new life, but only because her life had already been lost.

"Oh no!" he barked sharply in protest. "No way! Not going to happen! I ain't gonna…"

"You promised, Inuyasha!" Kagome cried in shrill reminder. "You can't go back now!"

"But I didn't know that you wanted me to…to…" He couldn't say it, didn't even want to think it. Not his Kagome. Not so long as he lived. He shook his head in denial, in refusal. "No! No, Kagome! I won't!"

"You must," she told him. Her voice was shaky, but her conviction was firm. "It's the only way. I can stop time, but only for an instant. The moment I take hold of the Shikon, it will react to my presence. He will be reanimated, brought back to the fight. If you don't, if you hesitate or try to stop me, then my death will be in vain."

"Kagome…"

Forcing a watery smile, she said, "I know, Inuyasha. I know. But you gave me your word. And I know you will keep it. Just like…just like you did for her."

"Kagome…" He started to reach out to her, but stopped himself, closing his hand into a fist so tight his claws bit against his skin. He wanted to tell her that she was wrong, that he never made such a promise, that he would never. But he couldn't, because he knew…

'_He died for you, so that you could die for her.'_

Sesshomaru knew something, something pivotal, something that had changed everything. And she had been the one to tell him. She had been the one to see it.

_Kagome…_ He hung his head, unable to continue looking into her eyes when he finally was able to see what darkened them so. "I can't."

"Yes," she told him as she reached out and took his hand, gently coaxing him into releasing the tight clenching of it, "You can. And you will." He slowly lifted his eyes to meet with hers, and when she smiled it was one warm with love and understanding. "It'll be alright," she soothed him. "I'm not afraid anymore. I know that no matter what happens, I won't be alone." Leaning closer to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him into a tight hug. "And neither will you," she whispered in his ear.

He held himself stiff for a moment, uncomfortable with her sudden affection; but her soft body pressing against his and the soothing warmth of her touch soon had him relenting. He brought his arms up around her back and held her to him, breathing in deeply of the gentle purity of her scent.

"I…" He wanted to say something, wished he had the words to tell her or the ability to express them without hurting her again. But he didn't, so he just held her.

"I know," she whispered as she pulled back from him. She lifted her hand and set it gently above her heart. "I was so afraid of loosing you, too, but then I realized that you could never really leave me."

There was something about the way she was looking at him then, the pain in her eyes lit with a soft light of hope and adoration, reflecting joy even in her sorrow. It was…familiar somehow. Almost as though…almost as though he had seen it before.

_Don't ever leave me again…_

That voice. A whisper from a dream. An angel of a vision. A memory so long past it was all but forgotten. But still it drifted across his mind, whispering the words of long ago. The soft pleading of her voice, the soft light of love in her eyes, and the feeling…the feeling of her lips against his.

"You…" Inuyasha breathed out disbelievingly. He pulled back from Kagome, his body rigid with shock. "The psycho chick that kissed me in the woods…That was you?"

Kagome squeaked in surprise, turning her face away quickly to hide the heated blush rising on her cheeks. "So, you remember that?" she asked as she brushed her hand through her hair uncomfortably.

He was staring at her, his eyes wide, seeing but hardly believing. But her embarrassment and jittery reactions told him much. "All this time…I thought it was a dream." She didn't respond, only blushed even deeper and looked anywhere but at him. It had been her. As impossible as it seemed, as strange as it was, it had been her. The very idea was almost laughable. And he might have, too, were he one to express things in such a way. He wasn't though, so instead, he huffed dramatically and crossed his arms over his chest, looking away from her in apparent dismissal. "Keh, come to think of it, it was more like a nightmare."

"Hey!" Kagome cried in outrage, spinning back to face him. "You don't have to be such a jerk about it!"

But he only smirked, his eyes shifting to look sideways at her. "I didn't hear you complaining then."

"Why you…"

Not good. His form went stiff in trepidation and his ears flattened instinctively against his scull. "No way, bitch! Don't even think…"

"SIT!"

And Inuyasha was forced from the branches of the tree, plummeting down to the ground at unnatural speeds as the mystical weight of his subjugation beads held him firm. But even as he braced for the pain he knew was to come, inside, he was smiling.

TTTTTTTTTT

"That is very good, Rin." Toga laughed richly at the bouncing girl-child that had just displayed for him a most effective means of silencing the protests of one, apparently highly flammable, imp.

The girl beamed at the compliment, her radiant smile lighting her face and the hearts that were witness to it. "Thank you, Lord Toga," she said with a polite little bow. "Rin has been practicing."

"I can see that," he said with another low chuckle, watching from the corner of his eye the singed imp attempting to crawl his way to safety.

"Lord Toga?" Rin was standing right in front of him. Sitting as he was, the girl still hardly made it to his shoulders, but she pulled herself up to her tip-toes using the twisted Staff of Two Heads as a support. Her chocolate eyes sparkled with glee as she leaned him, and she asked in a hushed voice, "Are you the surprise Lord Sesshomaru told me about?"

"Surprise?" Toga blinked and tilted his head slightly to regard the girl. His eyes flashed briefly to catch a glimpse of Sesshomaru on the other side of the camp clearing. The boy didn't turn to him, but he did hold up his hand, tossing the small ivory fang he had taken in the air before catching it again and locking it within his claws. With a smile, Toga turned back to Rin. "I think Sesshomaru still has a few surprises in store for all of us. But as for you, little one," he winked slyly, "How about you and I making a little surprise of our own?"

Rin's cherub features drew wide in excitement. "A surprise?" she asked in a tiny whisper of glee.

His smile growing with wickedness, Toga chuckled. "Oh, yes," he told her as he stood. Offering the girl his hand, he began leading her towards his destination. "And what a surprise it will be."

"Father."

Sesshomaru's frigid address froze Toga in his tracks. He turned slightly, a wide smile gracing his features. "Yes, my boy? Can I help you?"

His eyes narrowing in sharp accusation, Sesshomaru told him firmly, "Rin is not to be subjected to your games."

"Games?" Toga pulled back in offense. "Why, I would never dream of…" He stopped mid-protest, his attention pulled away from Sesshomaru and turned to the fast approach of his youngest.

Sesshomaru had sensed it as well, and he too turned to greet Kagome upon her return. As he did, however, he felt the rapid shift of the breezes, and he silently cursed his father for his deception, as well as himself for being stupid enough to fall for it. The old dog had taken his leave, bringing his young ward along with him to the trouble he was hoping to cause, knowing that he had been anticipating Kagome's arrival and would not leave now that she was close enough to sense him.

He was so completely agitated, that when compounded with the sight of his Kagome hanging over the whelp when they landed, he couldn't quite reign in his low, angry growl.

"Keh!" Inuyasha snapped irritably at Sesshomaru as he crouched guardedly after his landing. "What's your problem?"

Sesshomaru's lip lifted in a disgusted sneer. As if he would deign the whelp with an answer to such a ridiculous question, not to mention that it was entirely none of his concern.

"Sesshomaru?"

Damn. Where Inuyasha was simply a pestering annoyance easily ignored, Kagome was not. He turned to her, his features softening somewhat as he watched her slide off the hanyou's back; but his agitation not appeased in the slightest, especially upon seeing the faint redness of her eyes and smell the faint lingering scent of her tears.

Sesshomaru's displeasure was absolutely radiating off of him, becoming something almost physical, and Kagome didn't need her spiritual senses to tell her that his mood was foul. Her woman's intuition was more than enough. Without saying a word, she sent Inuyasha a soft look of apology before leaving him to go to Sesshomaru.

"What's the matter?" she asked quietly when she was standing in front of him.

He released a long breath to try and dispel the lingering tightness settled within him and shook his head slowly. "It is nothing."

Kagome's right eyebrow drew up slowly in disbelief. "And cows can fly," she intoned flatly.

It truly was amazing how easily she could lighten his mood, even if she was chiding him. Only one of the many reasons why he had fallen for her. A slow smirk lifted on his lips as he replied, "Cows can fly."

Kagome drew in a breath to protest his words, but it left her again as she deflated with realization. "Oh, snap," she pouted. "I forgot about Momo."

"An easy oversight," Sesshomaru replied smoothly, "But a beast of burden knows nothing of true freedom in the skies." He reached out and pulled her fluidly into his arms. She squeaked in surprise, and he felt the urge to smile at her antics. "I, however," he told her, a low rumble of pleasure thrumming in his chest at the feeling of her soft curves being pressed against his body, "could take you to heights you have never imagined."

Kagome squeaked again, a modest blush spreading across her cheeks. "Sesshomaru…" she said in a shaky voice. "I…"

"Come with me?"

His voice whispered in her ear, so deep and captivating that she knew she could never deny him. She sighed dreamily, her hands slipping upwards over his chest and wrapping around his shoulders as she leaned comfortably against his chest. "Anywhere," she answered in breathless anticipation.

Tightening his hold on his little miko protectively, Sesshomaru gathered together his energy and lifted them into the skies.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Lord Toga?" Toga glanced up curiously to the little girl riding on his shoulders. She was leaning forwards over him so that her bright eyes could find his when he looked up. "Are you from another time like Miss Kagome?"

His eyes widened slightly at the child's deduction. He games and her play, her joyous laughter and happy enthusiasm, made it easy to forget that she was indeed a child that was being raised by Sesshomaru. Not only that, but she was a miko, as well. He should have known better than to underestimate her intelligence and intuition. "Why, yes, child, I am."

"Does…" Rin paused for a moment, her lips pursing together as her brow drew tight in contemplation. "Does that mean that you will leave soon?"

"Rin," Toga soothed the girl gently. He reached up and pulled her down from his shoulders, bringing her to rest against his hip. "I do not belong in this time. But," he winked and tapped a finger against her nose, smiling when the little one giggled and squirmed in his arms. "You will see me again. After all, who could stay away from a sweet little girl like you for very long?"

Rin giggled sweetly, her little hands finally managing to grasp onto his finger. "That makes Rin very happy."

Toga chuckled. "Just wait until you see my surprise."

Curiosity and excitement stilled the little girl in Toga's arms. She looked up to him with wide eyes sparkling with glee. "What kind of surprise are we going to make?"

"Well…" Toga drawled out slowly, his eyes flashing with mischief. "Tell me, Rin, do you like fireflies?"

"Oh, yes!" she exclaimed giddily. "Rin likes fireflies very much."

"I thought you would," Toga replied with a low exclamation of mirth. "But you know," he said with a more serious note to his voice, "Fireflies are not the only thing that create fire in the sky." He tightened his hold on the girl marginally so that he could lean down to the ground and pick up a small rock. "A stone," he told her as he deposited the little rock in her hands, "if it can be sent high enough into the air, will streak the sky with fire when it falls back to the ground."

"Really?" Rin asked in amazement.

Toga nodded. "If the stone is big enough, it will burn for a very long time and fall all the way across the sky."

Rin was held mesmerized for a moment as she followed the tracking of Toga's hand as it traced a long path across the night sky. She had come with him to make a surprise, and her excitement over the idea was as rapidly as her anticipation to see something so incredible. Twisting in Toga's arms, Rin looked around their surroundings for such a wondrous stone. Catching sight of one that was very much bigger than she, she pointed to it and asked, "Is that one big enough?"

Toga spared a glance at the mentioned stone. "Actually," he said as he turned Rin's attention in a new direction. "I was thinking something more like that."

Following the line of where he was pointing, Rin gasped in awe. It rose up above them, its towering peaks of stone a looming giant over the lay of the land. Not simply a stone, not even a rock or a boulder. This was a mountain. Her eyes still wide in disbelief, Rin looked quickly back to Toga. "That is a very big stone," she told him.

Toga chuckled darkly, his free hand flexing at his side to crack his knuckles. "It sure is, Rin. It sure is."

TTTTTTTTTT

"Better?"

Kagome sighed happily, snuggling her way closer to Sesshomaru to find a good position on his lap, which, in comparison to standing on an all but non-existent cloud formed only of energy and wind, was a vast improvement. "Much," she told him with a grateful smile.

"Hn." Sesshomaru scanned over the new position the miko had found herself. She was leaning sideways against his left shoulder, her back being supported by his arm and her legs draped over his to the right side. Having her with him, finally, after all this time, the temptation of her was simply too great. His right hand found its way to the creamy skin of her thighs. "I must say," he told her as his hand began to move, rubbing carefully upwards along her thigh to tease at the area just beneath her skirt, "that I much prefer this to standing."

His touch was so gentle it sent shivers coursing through her, but at the same time ignited within her a burning desire so hot she could feel it in every pulse and every breath. The way he made her feel, so delicate, so vulnerable, but so completely empowered she could imagine herself doing anything; it was amazing. But still, she was hesitant.

It wasn't like she didn't want to let things between them take the course that by now was only natural. She did. She really did. In fact, she had thought about it a great deal, something not at all helped by the fact that she could fall back onto a vividly clear memory of what exactly lay concealed behind all those layers of armor and silk. Even recalling what she had seen after she had woken by his side in the future was usually enough to make her damn near drool; not to mention that when he touched her, her body was filled with pulsing heat and when he kissed her, her mind would loose focus of everything but for him.

She wasn't afraid, wasn't all that modest, and she knew, she just knew, that when they were finally able to be together fully, it would be beyond incredible.

But she couldn't. Not now. Not with the final battle still unresolved. Not when so much was still uncertain. Of course, she wasn't about to let Naraku dictate her love life, and if the evil snake didn't show himself soon, well, she would have to find other ways to ensure that her body would not betray her desires. To risk her life in the battle to come was one thing, to risk the life on one not yet even given it, was another. Thanks be to small miracles, then, and to modern day medicines.

"Sesshomaru…." she stammered nervously, "Please…I…."

He stilled his wandering hand, using it instead to pull her more tightly against him. "I know," he soothed her gently. Leaning into her, he brushed his cheek against hers in a tender display of affection. "I have been waiting for you all my life, Kagome. I can wait a little while longer."

Sighing in relief, Kagome leaned in further to his soft nuzzling. She was so content to simply be with him, to share this time with him. It was hard sometimes to believe that in a journey that had only been a few short weeks that she had found something so strong with him, a bond that she knew could never be broken. But then, for him, it had been so much more than that. While to her only weeks had passed, to him, it had been a lifetime.

A devious smirk lifted on her lips as she thought about it. "Sesshomaru," she asked coyly, "You haven't really been waiting for me, have you? Not waiting, waiting, right?"

He stilled against her. Even the warm wake of his breath moving across her skin had paused. She tried to turn to get a better look at him, but he swiftly tightened his hold on her, refusing her movement.

Eventually, he spoke, the deep velvet of his voice whispering in her ear. "Do not ask questions to which you do not want the answers, miko."

Shooting him a sideways look, knowing that he couldn't see it from where he was, Kagome's lips twisted in annoyance. "Why wouldn't I want to know?" If she hadn't really wanted to know before, she sure as hell did now. "It's not like it's a big deal or anything. In my time, I'm actually an anomaly because I haven't…well...you know. My friends have this idea that because I live in a shrine that I'm trying to be old fashioned and wait for marriage, but in reality, there just really isn't all that much time for…things like that…when you're constantly fighting for you life. Not to mention the whole time travel thing making relationships all but impossible."

She tried again to twist to look at him, but again he held her firm. Releasing a breath of exacerbation, Kagome scowled. So much for her gushy thoughts. Now she was just plain annoyed. But, being that her line of questioning seemed to be making him just as uncomfortable, she continued. "So?" she pressed. "Are you going to answer the question?"

"No."

"No?" When he didn't say anything more, leaving her to try and deduce what exactly he was saying 'no' to, Kagome grew agitated. Well, if he wasn't going to answer of his own volition, then she would just have to make him. She smirked wickedly. "I could always make you wait till you tell me. You would cave sooner or later."

A low vibration spread out from his chest and began shaking through her. She shivered, the air around her suddenly seeming so much cooler as her body became heated once more.

"You are mistaken, Kagome," his voice rumbled in her ear. "My patience is infinite. But you…" He paused to sweep his tongue out and run it the length of her neck, and she could feel his lips lift into a smirk against her skin when she drew in a shuddering breath in response. "You," he continued smugly, "shall not be able to resist me."

"Stop that, puppy!" She tried to scold him, but her voice was light with mirth and she couldn't suppress her smile. "I'm not a treat!"

Relenting to press of her small hands against his chest as she tried to push him away, Sesshomaru pulled back from her slowly. He licked his lips, savoring the sweet linger of her taste. "On the contrary, little miko," he told her in a voice thick with desire. "You are all the treat I shall ever need."

She gasped softly when she finally saw his eyes, saw the fires of his passion lit just beneath the golden surfaces; and the sweet parting of her luscious lips drew him to her again. He was hungry for her, for her taste and her scent, for her sweet purity and gentle touch. He could have stayed with her like this for an eternity and never grow tired of it, of her lips moving against his and drawing him closer, of the soft curves of her body pressing against his, or of the tiny sighs and moans that she would make when she had simply been overcome by sensation.

But there was so much more. To simply be with her filled him with a warmth he thought he could never know, in her touch he felt a calm that seemed impossible in the fires of his being, and in her eyes, if he looked closely enough, he could see the future, their future, shinning in the hope and faith that lit her from within.

When he finally pulled back from her, Kagome was left panting, her lungs drawing in great gasps of air to feed her rushing blood. And when her eyes met his, she too saw the future. But to her, it was already a memory. She could see it now as she had then, the love in his eyes. It was the most amazing thing she had ever seen, because she finally understood how she could believe.

She lifted her hand and brought it to the side of his face, her fingers stroking along his skin in a feathery caress. "Sesshomaru…" He voice was quiet, but deep with feeling. "I…"

"Shh." He silenced her words by pressing a finger to her lips, smiling tenderly at the confusion that registered in her sapphire eyes. "I want to show you something."

Kagome blinked, pulling back from him in utter confusion. Here she was about to tell him that…that…and he…he was…Sniffing snootily she spun away from him, crossing her arms stiffly over her chest.

"And Kagome…"

"What?" she snapped defensively without looking back.

His chest began shaking behind her, his low laughter causing a shiver to spread though her. "I love you, too."

Kagome spun around to face him so quickly that she actually fell over…and over…and over…Of course, she realized about half-way in her plummeting fall to the ground, that she hadn't really fallen, but more to the point that Sesshomaru had dropped her. Rage flooded through her, bringing her already heated blood to a boil. And she swore, upon everything that was holy and many things that were not, that she would receive retribution for the arrogant dog's antics.

By the time Sesshomaru had returned to catch her, it wasn't only the protective barrier of her amulet that burned around her, but also a heavy layer of miko energy. She knew how bad it was hurting him. Even if he wouldn't show any of his discomfort outwardly, he couldn't hide the shifting fires of his spirit from her eyes.

"It is good to see you are so well prepared, miko," Sesshomaru told her coolly, biting back on the growl that was threatening to form in displeasure. "It comes."

"It…What?"

Bringing them to land on the rise of an escarpment bordering a large valley thick with forest, Sesshomaru pointed to the sky.

Kagome looked up, her eyes drawing wide in disbelief. Gasping in shock and fright, she cried, "It's a meteor!"

A massive fragment of rock ignited with fire from the sky was streaking towards them at impossible speeds. In the dark of the night, the blaze of its tail seemingly stretched on forever. But the fire was growing, the burn becoming brighter and more intense with every second that passed. Ever closer, Kagome could only watch as it approached. Without having realized it, she had gripped tightly to Sesshomaru, and was silently grateful when he pulled her closer and wrapped her in the security of his embrace.

"It's gong to hit," she whispered against him.

"Yes," he answered as his eyes tracked the path of the falling rock carefully.

Just before the impact, Sesshomaru turned, shielding Kagome from the fallout of the blast. But even sheltered from the devastation, Kagome could still hear and feel the chaos that erupted around them. The ground beneath their feet shuddered in a massive quake before surging with a shockwave so powerful that the towering pines of the forest cracked and split, some even being driven out by their very roots. The bedrock too felt the impact, its layers shifting against each other, grinding and groaning as it was crushed and lifted to makeover the whole of the landscape. Sounds crashed against one another, an uproar that was nearly deafening. And the soft breezes of the night had turned to scorching waves of heat that tore mercilessly across every living thing.

It felt like the end of the world, and though held safe in Sesshomaru's arms and behind the protective shield of her barrier, still Kagome was trembling in fright. "When will it end?" she had asked at one point, fearing for a moment that it never would.

But Sesshomaru only held her closer, until at last he whispered, "It is over." He pressed gently against her shoulders to ease her away from himself, and when she relented, he turned her to look with him over the destruction and the massive crater left in its wake. "Can you see how the fire dies?" he asked her.

And she could. From within the crater, even though the heat of the fire still burned against the ground and great plumes of smoke were lifting towards the sky, she could see new clouds forming. Not clouds dark with spent carbon and blackened soot, these clouds were of the purest white, of water heated so intently that it was no longer bound by gravity.

"An underground waterway," Sesshomaru said from her side. "Its seal has been broken, and now the crater shall fill with its tides."

Looking at him curiously, Kagome asked, "You mean a lake will form?"

Sesshomaru nodded. "And the very stone that created it, shall build the walls that defend its waters."

"A fortress," Kagome breathed out. Her eyes swept over the land again, but with new understanding. She could see it now, even in the afterburn of the impact, she could see the lay of the land, the boundaries formed by the new lake, the new hills and rises that would soon be taken over by new growth. She could see the land where a castle had once stood, a palace built in her future, for her future.

She turned back to Sesshomaru gapping. "How did you…?"

"Father," he answered before she could even finish the question. "He was not always as careful as he might have been with certain aspects of his story. However, it seems that, in this instance at least, his games shall prove beneficial."

Abandoning his surveying of the new landscape, Sesshomaru turned to Kagome. He brushed his fingers along her cheek to bring her attention to him. When her beautiful sapphire eyes met with his, he smiled adoringly. "I love you, Kagome. I loved you even when I had nothing more to hold of you than a story. And now that you are with me at last, I never want to let you go."

Taking a step back from her, he gathered her left hand in both of his, kissing it tenderly as he lowered himself to his knee before her.

Kagome drew in a shaky breath as she watched him. She couldn't believe what was happening, but she couldn't deny what she was seeing. She watched, her eyes wide, her heart pounding. Never, never would she have even dreamed of this. But it was happening. And all she could do was look on in awe. It was like a dream, but a dream made real. And it was a dream of him.

He had brought her here, to this place, because he had known she would see in the land a vision of the future. He had brought here, because it was a future that he wanted to see made real. He could smell her tears on the air, the tears she cried so often, but he knew that now they were tears of joy, and that after this night, if only she would say yes, that any tears she cried he would be there to wipe them away.

This was it, the moment of truth, the moment when all that had been would be judged and weighed, where hopes for what could be may at last be realized. He took a deep breath to steady himself and looked up at her.

"Stay," he asked of her. "Stay with me. Share your life with me as I would with you. Let the love that we have, that we would make, start a new family. Our family. Be my…wife." The word was foreign to him, against everything he had been raised to believe; but for her…for her he would have given up anything and everything he believed, because when he was with her he knew only one thing: that he loved her and that he always would.

Waiting for her answer was excruciating. The very thought that she would deny him, that she would leave him again, was like a black plague tearing through the fires of his spirit. He ached for her light to sooth against the rage, for her love to bring him the peace that for so long he had suffered without.

Her lips parted, a movement that held him mesmerized. And he waited on baited breath for her answer.

But what she would say was not the answer he had hoped to hear. She would have it be more.

"No," she whispered with a small shake of her head. Tears streaked down her face, but her smile was one of pure joy. She knelt with him, bringing her free hand up to hold his tight to hers. She could feel the tenseness of his muscles, see the confusion and pain in his eyes; but she wasn't finished yet. "I would be your mate."

He released a heavy breath that he hadn't even realized he was holding, and in an instant he had pulled her to himself and captured her lips in a long kiss that burned with passion so deep there could be found no ending and no beginning.

She fell into it, into the heart of his passion. Still her tears flowed, but tears of joy so sweet and so pure they simply couldn't be contained.

She wept for a future she would never have known had it not been for him. She wept for what had been and what still could be. She wept for a heart that had been broken that was now filled so completely there could be no expression for it. She wept because she could, because she knew that fate, that destiny, were only words to describe what in her heart she knew was meant to be.

Her tears fell, but they were tears of love.

Tears of the fallen.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

I think that I'm going to forgo this A/N, being that I have a rather extended one for the next chapter. And, yes, in case you were wondering, the next (and final) chapter is written, and I will happily post it after I have received 50 reviews. (Really, it's not all that much considering how many people are reading this story. I usually don't place such limits on my updates, but it seemed the best way for me to space the postings…well, that and it gets me 50 reviews ;P. So, break out your typing fingers people, and you might be seeing an update as early as tomorrow ).

Okay, well, I suppose I do have one thing to note. There shall be no final battle with Naraku in this story. I thought about it for a long time, but I eventually came to the conclusion that were I to write it, it would detract from the true intentions of the story (not to mention drag it out forever and likely send me to the loony bin after a breakdown from frustration). Besides, we all know who is going to win, and I will give an explanation of this in the next chapter which will serve as an epilogue of sorts.

Anyways, hope you've all enjoyed.

Later

Shadow


	36. Final Tears

Tale of the Warrior Priestess

Final Tears

"Now, Inuyasha!"

The time had come, and he didn't hesitate.

Everywhere around them, the battle waged. Blood soaked the ground and covered the broken limbs of the trees in a blanket of crimson. Demon fires ignited with and against sacred flames scored deeply into the earth. The sky was black with smoke and ash, blocking out even the light of the day behind a suffocating cloud thick with fetid poisons. Screams rose up across the battlefield, horror and agony piercing through the angry clash of blades.

But her voice carried above it all, and Inuyasha lifted his sword. The battle so long in the coming was finally here, and now the time had come for him to keep his promise. He could see her, ahead in the chaos of the battle. Sesshomaru was guarding her with a ferocity that Inuyasha had never seen in him before. His form was perfect, and nothing broke past his defense of his mate, nor did anything survive after he unleashed his attacks. But he had brought them close enough to the dark hanyou, that Kagome had found her opening.

Naraku was in his sights, the evil bastard that had taken so much from them all. He focused on his enemy, blocking away his thoughts of what he knew would happen. The enemy had turned towards him, expecting his attack, preparing to shield against it with his stolen power and return it blast to tear through all of his allies.

But Naraku was a fool. Power had driven him mad, blinded him of the truth. And the truth was, in the end, he was alone. The only power he had, he had because the Shikon had infused him with it. And he had used that power, abused it, made it do despicable and disgusting things, and forced his will upon others in his merciless reign. But without the Shikon, he was nothing, pathetic, weak.

Everything he had, Inuyasha poured into his attack. He called upon every strength he had, and when even that wasn't enough to satisfy him, he called upon the strength of those standing with him. The wisdom of the monk, the determination of the taijiya and the loyalty of her neko, the courage of the kitsune, the will of his brother, and her amazing heart; each filling him with a new kind of strength.

And in his hands, Tetsusaiga would be the carrier of their power, the one to bring them all together.

He released a furious roar as he brought down the blade; one of wrath and fury, but of anguish and sorrow as well. He could see, even as the tremendous blast of power exploded from Tetsusaiga and began cutting its way through the masses towards its target, he could see her lift her bow, could see the brilliance of her arrow as it streaked into the sky above her. And in the wake of her magic, everything suddenly stilled. Even Tetsusaiga's blast hung suspended on its approach, the fires of the cutting winds caught precariously in the void of time.

The last thing he saw before he too was taken over by the silence was Kagome moving quickly and determinedly towards the vile Naraku.

TTTTTTTTTT

Mid-strike against another wave of Naraku's attack, Sesshomaru was about to divest the vile beast of another portion of its body when he was overcome by the binding. It was as before, a nothingness, a pause where there was no movement, no sound or thought, but in which there seemed no reason for such things to exist.

But he knew now. This was Her power.

_Kagome…_ What had she done? What was she…?

_NO!_ He wouldn't allow it. She couldn't face this on her own. She didn't need to.

Sesshomaru strained against the bindings of her magic. It burned against him with every lifting of his will, tore through him with every surge of his powers; but he did not relent, he would not. Around him, he began feeling the tight bindings crack, giving way with a reluctant groan of protest. Every movement seemed impossible, but he forced his body to respond.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally managed to find her. She was right in the middle of everything, completely surrounded by Naraku's beasts and the filthy hanyou's bulging deformity of a body. She had climbed up to him, standing with an arrow clutched tightly in her hands and pointing directly at his chest.

_No!_ He tried to speak, but it was useless. So again he forced his body to move. Somehow, he had to stop her. Already he could feel the magic she had released growing weaker. Soon, it would dissipate completely, and she…she would be left in the direct path of Tetsusaiga's wrath

Suddenly, she looked up, turning her attention directly to him. She showed no shock at seeing he had broken out of the trance, but only smiled at him.

_Please…_ He begged her not to, to turn back from this foolishness.

"I love you," she whispered, her voice the only sound that broke through the heavy stillness around them.

_Kagome!!_

But she turned away from him, her determination set. She lifted the arrow and plunged it down in one fluid motion. With nothing to defend against it, the arrow pierced through Naraku's flesh uninhibitedly. Without pause, Kagome ripped the arrowhead out again, replacing it with her hand as she reached into the dark hanyou's chest and took hold of the Shikon.

In that instant, everything surged back to life. The hard clash of battle raged again as though there had never been a pause, but a difference had been made, and a change had occurred.

TTTTTTTTTT

Kagome looked into the eyes of her enemy upon his wakening from her binding, telling him of his fate even with no words. And then she turned away from him, giving him her back, not caring, knowing that she had already beaten him. She clutched the Shikon to her chest, never thinking to draw of its power, and looked up to watch the approaching blast.

She smiled as she watched the fires rage. She had always loved that about them, had always found such beauty in the crimson tides of the youkai spirit. And she could feel its burn within her, as well. It was there, always there, a constant reminder that she was never alone.

With one last breath she lifted her face to the sky, seeing for a moment beyond the cloud of war the light of the sun above.

And still she smiled, even as she shed her final tears.

TTTTTTTTTT

_There was once a handsome Young Prince. He was strong and brave, a warrior with no equal. He feared nothing, but also cherished nothing. He walked a path of supreme conquest, driven by his pursuit for ultimate power._

_But the gods looked down upon the Young Prince and saw in him great promise. His strength and his valor pleased the gods and they smiled down upon him, sending him a gift of love. On that day, on the day that the sun and the moon rose together, the Warrior Priestess appeared before the Young Prince and asked of him a question._

'_Do you know me?' she asked._

_And he did, for the Young Prince had heard the tales in his youth of a woman who was strong and brave, compassionate and kind; and beautiful beyond compare. And the prince knew from the moment she asked a question meant only for him, that she had come from the gods to bring him great tidings._

_They journeyed together on a quest of great peril. Fighting against monsters too frightening to even speak about and too dark to even mention their names, the Warrior Priestess and the Young Prince stood side by side. All who stood against the pair were brought down in the face of their enormous power and they achieved a great victory over the dark ones who wished them harm._

_They continued on their journey, always searching for that which had brought them together. You see, they were searching for weapon, a weapon of such great and wonderful power that it had been kept as a sacred secret, never known to anyone but for the great being that had crafted it. But when they reached their destination, when at last they believed that their journey had come to its glorious end, the object they were seeking was not there. _

_It had been lost to time._

_Knowing that she must complete the mission asked of her to discover the resting place of the magnificent weapon, the Warrior Priestess was forced to say goodbye to the Young Prince. But before she left, she promised him that one day he would once again see the sun and the moon rising together as one; and that on that day she would return to him._

_As she began drifting away, back to whence she had came, she heard the voice of the Young Prince one last time and her heart filled with joy._

'_Return to me, my priestess.'_

_You see, all of their struggles and all of the trials set against them, had brought the two very different beings together, and the Young Prince had come to care deeply for the Warrior Priestess as she had for him._

_But even as her heart filled with joy at the words of the young prince, the Priestess shed tears for the knowledge that the next time they would meet there would be nothing but hatred burning in his eyes for her. And at that time, she couldn't understand why._

_Time, however, is a fickle thing, and it is always changing. And along with the changes of time, there also comes changes for those ensnared in its grasp. It was because of time, because of events that none but the fates could control, that the Young Prince would be granted a terrible vision of the Warrior Priestess which would make him believe that she had betrayed him. It filled him with such anger and resentment that his heart became hardened once more, so much so that when next he saw the Warrior Priestess he would lash out at her and attempt to take her life._

_And while the Young Prince had been granted a vision of the Warrior Priestess, she had been granted one of him as well, one which mirrored a future of what could be. But how, she wondered? How could it be possible? He had hated her, he had tried to kill her, he had given her nothing but for an aching heart. How could she believe when he had told her he loved her? How could she understand when she knew she would have to face the hatred once more?_

_But all was not lost for the Young Prince and the Warrior Priestess, because they would be allowed to meet again. After more time had passed and both had gained new understanding of the other's pains, they would meet again. They would be offered a second chance to set right the wrongs of the past, and to set out once again on the mission that had brought them together._

_So, on the prophesized day where the sun and the moon rose together, the Young Prince and the Warrior Priestess were reunited. But hatred, distrust, anger, and resentment were the powerful barriers that stood between them still. And were it not for a terrible curse, they may never have found their way again._

_His great strength stripped from him, the incredible powers bestowed upon him by the gods stolen by one with a dark heart; the Young Prince discovered that there was power greater than strength, and a strength more true than that of body or mind. Left wounded and on the doorstep of death, it was love that brought him back, that gave him the strength to face the darkness that had threatened all their lives. _

_The Warrior Priestess, her heart breaking to see her beloved Prince fall, gave to him her heart, her soul, the treasure that she had protected all her life. The strength of her love gave him courage once more, gave him the power to stand against their enemies. And stand he did. Together again, there was no darkness they could not face, no pain, no loss that was too much to bear. _

_They fought once again, fought the dark ones that would stand in the path of their destiny, and again, with their combined might, they achieved a great victory. But this time, they would not be left wanting for the treasure they sought, for the great weapon that had been promised them by the gods. In the wake of their victory, a rift was born that parted time itself. _

_The Warrior Priestess knew that her time had come, that she would once again be separated from the Young Prince. _

'_Wait for me,' she asked of him, a silent pleading that he would be there for her return, that he would not forget the time they shared, that he would forgive her for leaving him again._

_And in the darkness that was left by her parting, the Young Prince gave her his answer, 'Always.' _

_But the journey for the Warrior Priestess was not yet over. She was carried through the rift in time, thrown backwards once again to be brought face to face with the great being that had sent her on the mission in the first place. It was he that gave to her the weapon of great power, his hand that washed away her fears and her hesitations, he that made her realize that no matter how deep the darkness a light may still shine, the light of hope sparked from the knowledge that so long as she would love and be loved that she would never be alone._

_It is strange, sometimes, how the mistress of fate uses her toys, but for the Warrior Priestess, she couldn't be more grateful for the gifts she had been given. In her hands rested a power unlike any other, a power that could bring change to even the great being that had sent her on her quest. This power, gained by her passage through time, had given the Warrior Priestess one wish, any wish her heart desired. And it was, in a moment of need and of understanding, where she felt the pains of those closest to her heart; that she made her wish._

_She wished for the family that she had been so long denied. She wished for a father to be reunited with his children. She wished, if only for a moment, that others could know the love and the joy found in the strong arms of the one that had come to be her father. _

_It was impulsive and without thought of consequences, but there was no going back. The wish had been made, and the spell taken hold. All that was left was for the Warrior Priestess to accept what she had done, accept that in her heart she knew there could be no better wish, no better way to bring strength the her friends and her family, no better being than the greatness that was her father to stand against the dark ones that still threatened her land and her life._

_And so it was, with her father by her side and the great weapon he had crafted for her hands to guide their passage, The Warrior Priestess found her way back to her Young Prince. Reunited at last, and with nothing more that could take them away from each other, the Warrior Priestess and the Young Prince, together with the family that had been formed over thousands of years and by the will of the Gods, they would make their last stand._

_In the carnage of the battle that followed, many were lost to the fray. Lives that had been lived in servitude were granted freedom. Hearts that had been torn and ravaged by the suffocating hold of darkness were given new hope. The land that had been broken and torn, that had so long lived without the light of the sun, was finally allowed to meet with the glory of the morn._

_But in the heat of battle, amidst the raging war, the dark fires of hell, and the searing torments born of so much suffering; there emerged a hero. A child that had been lost to the world, that had been cast aside because of his differences, because of what he had been born of and whom he had been born to, a child become a man against all odds and in impossible circumstance; had been the one to break through the darkness long enough to allow the Warrior Priestess the time she needed. His sacrifice was the greatest of them all, for to see the darkness forever cast aside he sacrificed his heart and his future to fight with the Warrior Priestess. _

_It was a sacrifice that would not be made in vain. The Warrior Priestess stepped into the void created in the parting of time and at long last found herself standing against the perpetrator of all of the darkest nightmares and most hideous monsters. Driven by her rage and the pain she felt for the sacrifices made for her to come to this point, she used the great weapon that had been placed in her hands to finally bring an end to evil's hold upon the lives of all who walked the lands._

_The dark one fell in the path of her enormous power. But in all things, in order to gain, something of equal value must be lost. _

_Peace had been returned to the land, the darkness had been eradicated; but without the darkness there can be no light, and for the darkness to be destroyed completely, the creature of light that had fought so valiantly against it must too have been destroyed._

_The Warrior Priestess, the gift of the gods love, had given her life to their cause._

_She had known as she walked into the battle what the price of their freedom would be, and she had gladly given that of herself to see those she loved given a chance at peace. Her final breath was taken with a smile on her lips because she knew that no matter how deep the darkness, no matter how tiny and frail the light of hope, that there would always be a light for her to look to, always be a spark of faith to light her way. And it was her hope and her faith that allowed her to embrace her fate with no regrets, because she knew that no matter where the path of destiny lead her, so long as she loved and was loved, that she would never be alone._

_Upon her return to the heavens, she was embraced by the gods that had sent her on her mission. They welcomed her with open arms and with smiles of pride and of joy. She had accomplished what no other could. She had brought an end to evil and given the people of the land a chance to feel true joy and true peace._

_But before she would ascend to the heavens, the Warrior Priestess looked back once more at the land below. What she saw made her heart weep, and even in the light of the heavens, her tears of the clearest waters fell from her eyes._

_There, now beyond her reach, was the Young Prince who had captured her heart. So strong and proud, so courageous and steadfast, the man that had once known nothing of love, that all his life had cherished nothing but power, was breaking under the weight of his shattered heart. He held the shell that had been her body to his chest and shed his first tears, tears born of a heart that had found love only to have lost it._

_Seeing him like that, the Warrior Priestess knew that she could not leave him with such pain in his heart. She knew that such grief would consume him, and that in his anguish would be born a new form of darkness. She turned to the gods, to the great being that she loved as her father, and asked him to send her back._

'_I can not bear to see him in pain. Send me back to him so that I might dry his tears and mend his broken heart.'_

'_Beware,' the gods had warned her. 'Should the light return, so must the darkness.'_

'_The darkness can never stand against the strength of love,' she replied._

_And the gods, knowing that her words were true and her love was pure, agreed to her request. The great being stepped forward and bestowed upon the Warrior Priestess his gift. From his lips he breathed the air into her lungs that would give her life again._

_When next she opened here eyes, the Warrior Priestess was in the arms of her Young Prince. She smiled at him, a smile filled with joy and with love. 'I will never leave you again,' she promised him._

_And he, so overwhelmed by emotions, could form no words. He brought her to him and gave her the same promise in the form of his kiss._

_From the ashes of the terrible war, a new evil arose. Given life by the same breath that had brought the Warrior Priestess back to the land of the living, the darkness began its pursuits for ultimate power and conquest again, seeking always to throw the world and all its inhabitants into the madness and chaos of the dark fires. But with such warriors always prepared to stand and face the fires, with love as strong and pure as that shared by the Warrior Priestess and the Young Prince, the evil of the darkness would never gain the victory it sought. _

_So the story goes on. Since the dawn of time, a war has been waged between good and evil. And so it would continue. But with love to light the way from the darkest of places, to bring new life and new hope where there seems to be none, it would be good that would always prevail. _

TTTTTTTTTT

"Grandfather?" The boy's sapphire eyes were shining with questions brewing in his young mind. "If the darkness must always return, does that mean that the wraths will return as well?"

Smiling warmly at the boy, Toga reached out and patted his head reassuringly. "No, pup. The wraths are gone."

The boy's face scrunched up tightly as he figured through his grandfather's answer. "If they are gone, does that mean the darkness is gone too?"

With a long release of breath, Toga shook his head. "No. There will always be some darkness in the world. There will always be hatred, greed, prejudice, and war. From these things, the darkness is born anew. But," he tapped a finger on the bridge of the pup's nose. "So long as there are warriors to stand against it, the ones that fight to see the future filled with the light of love and peace, then there is still hope that one day we will find a true ending to the Feudal Fairytale."

Drawing himself up to his full height and puffing out his chest, the boy said, "I will be a warrior too. Just like mother and father."

Toga smiled, but it was sad with understanding. "You would be a fine warrior, my boy. But I truly hope that such a day never comes."

Before the boy could question his grandfather any further, the door just to their right opened. Scrambling to his feet, the boy dashed over to the newly opened room, skidding to a stop just in time to prevent himself from running headlong into his father's legs. "Is it time, father?" he asked excitedly. "Can I see her?"

Giving the boy a curt nod of approval, he stood aside and allowed the young one access to the room.

Toga took one look at his son, his crimson-bled eyes, his stiff but sagging posture, and his singed mane of silver hair; and laughed. "You look like hell, boy!"

Glaring menacingly at his father, Sesshomaru ran a hand through his still smoking hair before lowering himself slowly into the chair next to his father. "I still look better than you, old man," he told him icily.

Laughing again, Toga said, "It looks to me like that tonic is still in effect, because I could swear that was a joke."

"The effects are more tolerable when administered in i_moderate_/i amounts."

"Don't tell me you're still sore over the last time." Sesshomaru's glare told him all he needed to know about that. "Come on, it is not my fault you went and took a human mate."

"No. But it was your doing that convinced the hanyou to gather the elixir's ingredients and administering them in such high quantities."

Toga shrugged. "I wanted to be sure it took effect. Somehow I do not think Kagome would have been very appreciative of you transforming in the middle of her labor and then insisting on licking both her and the pup clean once it was born."

Scoffing, Sesshomaru replied, "And she was so much more receptive to me staggering in like a drunken fool."

"She got over it, did she not?"

"Eventually."

"So, what's the problem?"

Shooting his father a deadly glare, Sesshomaru sneered, "You were not around for the year of her wrath."

"It couldn't have been that bad," Toga said with a wave of his hand. Pausing, he tilted his head in contemplation. "You never did say what it was she did to you after that."

"It was not what she did," Sesshomaru replied with a long, tired release of breath. "It was what she did not."

Toga blinked. Once. Twice. And then, as realization dawned on him, he broke out into a fit of chuckles. "Oh, you poor boy! I had no idea she could be so cruel!"

Closing his tired eyes, Sesshomaru leaned back in the chair. "Neither did I."

"My Lords. The Lady will see you now."

Cracking his eyes open to look at the young midwife, Sesshomaru said, "Reena, how many times have I told you to simply call me Sesshomaru."

Shaking her head, she replied. "Oh, no, my Lord. My mother, God rest her, would never allow such a thing."

"Reena?" Toga got up from his chair and moved closer to the young woman. "Little Reena?" His eyes swept over the woman, taking a critical note of her petite frame, her thick raven locks, and her wide chocolate eyes. "I can't believe it!" he exclaimed as he drew the girl into a tight embrace, completely heedless of the hot blush that was staining her cheeks as she flushed in embarrassment from the contact. "Rin's little one! My, how you have grown!"

"Thank you, my Lord," the girl murmured through her heavy embarrassment.

Taking hold of the back of his father's neck, making sure to dig his claws in nice and deep for good measure, Sesshomaru hauled Toga off the obviously uncomfortable girl. "That is enough, old man," he warned sternly. "I will not have you manhandling every female on my estate."

"Impossible," Toga quipped as he looked back to Reena and sent her a playful wink. "I am not a man."

The girl, if possible, blushed even deeper, and Sesshomaru was sorely tempted to roll his eyes. Instead, he gave Toga a hard shove in the direction of the birthing room. Toga growled and stiffened at the contact, but Sesshomaru was far to tired to retaliate. "Just go," he said with a low growl of his own. It had been a long day, and he wanted nothing more than to be able to take his mate and their newborn and retire to their chambers for a month of seclusion.

Toga, after snapping his jaw in offense, relented to Sesshomaru's insistence. He did, after all, make this trip to see his new grandpup. So, spinning abruptly on his heel, he made his way into the room.

She sat in the warm glow of the afternoon sun as it slipped over her from the window pane, her skin glowing softly in the light and her midnight hair catching with faint glimmers of crimson; but the brightness in her sapphire eyes came from something else entirely. Tucked gently in her arms, a tiny bundle rested with care. Beside her, having climbed up on the new blankets covering the bed, the young Toga clutched tightly to his mother's arm while peering over her at the newest addition to their family.

"Toga?" Kagome called her son's name softly. She pulled him from her side and motioned to the others. "Will you tell your grandfather your baby brother's name?"

The boy smiled eagerly and quickly jumped to the end of the bed. He motioned his grandfather closer, and again until he could lean up to him and whisper the name of the newborn in his ear.

Standing back from the boy, Toga looked to his daughter and smiled. "It is not fair," he said as he sat down beside her and took her hand. "You have gotten to use it before me."

Laughing softly, Kagome squeezed Toga's hand. "It is a good name."

"Yes," he agreed as he looked at the pup in her arms. He reached out and brushed his hand through the soft onyx of the pup's mane, a warm smile spreading on his lips when the little one opened his eyes and looked up at him with sharp golden eyes. "I am pleased to meet you, Inuyasha."

The pup barked, the sound high and whimpering; but sharp enough to make Toga pull back from him. He smirked, then barked back at the boy, his voice a deep rumble that shuddered through the room. The pup blinked. And then started to wail.

"Oh, you mean old dog!" Kagome scolded Toga with a swat across his shoulders. She tugged the little bundle closer to her and shoed Toga away.

But he only laughed richly. "I am not the only dog in this room, Kagome." He paused to wink. "And I am not the only one that is old."

Squeaking on outrage, Kagome straightened herself sharply to glare at the Inu. Unfortunately, that had been a terribly bad idea, as her body all but whimpered in distress and promptly told her, in no uncertain terms, that she wasn't going anywhere.

"You. Will. Pay." She bit out tersely as she carefully leaned back against the pillows propping her up on the bed.

"Later," he said with a smirk. "I have a play date with my grandpup."

Turning and picking up his namesake from the bed, Toga started for the door. "Come on, pup," he said as he went, giving the boy a mischievous wink. "Your grandfather still has a few tricks up his sleeve."

"Toga."

Kagome's tone carried a hard edge, and Toga swallowed thickly before turning to her. "Yes, my dear?" he asked with a wide, though slightly shaky, grin.

Her eyes narrowed sharply. "Stay away from the gardens."

"Gardens?" he asked innocently. But when her eyes narrowed even further and he began to feel a sharp spiking of energy on the air, he huffed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. No gardens."

Turning again, he continued out of the room.

"Grandfather?" Looking down to the pup he carried, Toga cocked an eyebrow in question. "If we aren't going to the gardens to play, then where are we going?"

Toga chuckled darkly, a wicked smile rising on his lips. "She never said anything about the lagoon."

TTTTTTTTTT

Back in the birthing room, Sesshomaru bit his lip hard to keep from yelling after his father to keep his damn games in his own era. This one promised to not end well…mostly for him when Kagome caught on to what the old dog had planned.

"Sesshomaru, you're growling."

Shifting his attention back to his mate, Sesshomaru offered her a small smile. "I am simply pleased to have you with me again."

Lifting an eyebrow slowly in disbelief, Kagome reached out and patted his hand. "Sure, hon. Whatever you say."

A tiny gurgle from the bundle in her arms had Kagome shifting. She pulled the blanket back from the boy to give him more room to squirm. Her smile was one of pure love and joy. "He's perfect," she whispered as she looked back to Sesshomaru.

"Yes," he agreed. Lifting his hand, he ran it softly through her tussled raven locks, brushing them back from her face. Pulling back, he allowed his fingers to trail down the side of her face. "Perfect," he said as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

Sighing in contentment, Kagome returned his kiss. Soft and passionate, filled with all things unspoken, he reminded her all over again why she loved him so dearly.

She giggled sweetly when the little bundle in her arms started kicking and pulled back from her husband. "I think someone's jealous."

With a low rumble and a playful snap of his jaw, Sesshomaru lowered his face to the boy's. The pup's squirming stilled instantly, his golden eyes drawn wide as he focused on his father. Carefully, Sesshomaru parted his jaw. Leaning in closer to the boy, he took the tip of his nose between his teeth and nipped it softly. The pup yelped in surprise, but the low, soothing rumble from his father soothed its whimpers, and he began purring softly when he felt the soft nuzzling against his cheek.

Kagome's light chimes of laughter joined in with the soft rumbles of her Inus. She nudged Sesshomaru gently in the ribs. "Come on, puppy. Save some of that for me."

Pulling back from his boy, Sesshomaru shifted and gathered Kagome into his arms. He smirked when she squeaked in surprise and clutched the babe closer to her chest. "For you, my love," he purred into her ear as he nudged the curve of her neck with his nose, "I have something much better planned."

Kagome twisted stiffly in his arms. "But I just gave birth!"

He chuckled darkly, his tongue sweeping out to run along the length of her neck. "I know."

Shivering, though not certain if in anxiety or anticipation, Kagome looked between her mate and their newest addition to their pack. She smiled as she reached out to pull the pups hand from his mouth and replaced it with her finger to coax him into suckling. "Alright," she said quietly as she looked back to Sesshomaru. "But next time, I want a girl."

The light that ignited in his eyes filled her with a warmth more soothing than that of the sun. And when he kissed her, giving her over to his passion, time no longer had meaning. There was no night or day for her, no setting sun or rising moon. In his arms she had eternity. Her immortal love. And holding her; he held his past, his present, and his future. Whatever the course of time, whatever the challenges it would pose; it didn't matter, because they would face it together. Always, and forever more.

Days would pass and lives move on. Some times would be hard, filled with losses, sorrow, and tears. But with love's hand to sooth against their pains, and a future brightly lit with hope and faith, the tears of those cradled in fate's gentle hold would be sweet.

And as for the Young Prince and the Warrior Priestess…Well, their story became legend, their battles inspiration, and their love timeless. Thousands have read their story, have struggled with them, fought with them, learned with them, loved with them, and cried with them. So their light shall never fade, and their story shall never end.

It will live on, in our memories and in our hearts.

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I can't believe I have finally brought this story to its end. It has been quite the journey. I'm so glad to have been able to share it with so many wonderful readers who have supported both me and this story with such enthusiasm that you have all left this Shadow in tears of joy, but of sorrow too to see this come to an end. It is strange, sometimes, how easily we can be swept away in the world of a story, feel for its characters, and weep with them for their sorrows. But now I think I have cried enough Tears, and it is time to move on.

But the story, it seems, will move on as well. Please, if you haven't, see LadyShieru's Doujin version of Tears. The artwork is incredible, and she has made her own additions to the story that simply make it come to life all over again. And don't forget to leave a review to tell her how much her art is appreciated. I know how much reviews mean for an artist, and I simply can't tell her enough how much what she has done for this story means to me.

The link to LadyShieru's profile can be found in my profile

Also, I am very happy to say that Tears of the Fallen has received many distinctions from both the Inuyasha fan Guild as well as A Single Spark, winning awards in several different categories. Thank you everyone who nominated the story and who voted for it. It truly is an honor to be placed so highly and along with stories that have captured me as well in their glorious tales.

Well, I guess that's all. Except, perhaps, for me to ask that you leave a review on your way out. I love to hear from my fans, you are always an inspiration. And as for me, well Shadow isn't done just yet. I still have two stories waiting to be finished, and countless other ideas that are just itching to find their way into my profile.

So, until we meet again.

Shadow


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